'Respond with speed and violence'

'I believe they will be Hall of Famers'

team players

'harassed a merchant vessel'

Books Front Lines and Frontiers Making Cargo Hauling Exciting: The Big Lifters by Dean Ing Cutting-edge trains, trucks, and dirigibles — plus conspiracies, lasers, and explosions! By Alan Brown | Published on February 3, 2026 Comment 1 Share New Share In this bi-weekly series reviewing classic science fiction and fantasy books, Alan Brown looks at the front lines and frontiers of the field; books about soldiers and spacers, scientists and engineers, explorers and adventurers. Stories full of what Shakespeare used to refer to as “alarums and excursions”: battles, chases, clashes, and the stuff of excitement. Today, I’m taking a look at a good old-fashioned science fiction book, The Big Lifters by Dean Ing, which is about an inventor pushing innovation in the world of cargo hauling to the edge of what’s possible. Just in case cargo isn’t your thing, Ing also throws in plenty of pushback from threatened transportation organizations and terrorist attacks to keep the pot boiling and make sure your attention doesn’t wander, I found this Tor paperback from 1988 on a shelf in my basement, with the unbroken spine signaling that it had never been read. As I plumb deeper and deeper into my collection of books, I am finding a lot that got put on my to-be-read pile and then forgotten. The Big Lifters has a nice, impressionistic cover painting and interior drawings by Alan McKnight, an artist I had not encountered before or since. The book feels old-fashioned in two ways: first, because it hearkens back to the old tales of inventors who succeed in a wide variety of fields, a type of story once known as “Edisonades,” after the famous inventor. Examples include the adventures of Frank Reade from the era of dime novels, and the Stratemeyer Syndicate’s novels about boy inventor Tom Swift. And this focus on science is something I miss in modern science fiction. Too few stories have the sense of excitement that comes from pushing the state of the art, and doing things that have never been done before. The book also feels old-fashioned in the sense that its prose and plotting were a bit lurid and over-the-top at times, in a way that reminded me of the old 20th-century men’s adventure magazines, periodicals like Argosy and True. When I was a Boy Scout, we used to have an annual paper drive, and as we collected bundles of newspapers, we were always on the lookout for discarded magazines of the type our parents wouldn’t approve. The men’s magazines, dripping with testosterone, and full of muscle-bound guys toting tommy guns, scantily clad damsels in distress, and menacing Nazis and Commies, were among the prized finds. While I was fascinated by these tales when I was young, I am glad we have left some of these old adventure magazine clichés behind. About the Author Dean Ing (1931-2020) was an American science fiction author, whose work drew on his experience in the US Air Force and on his careers as an aerospace engineer and as a college professor. His first story was published in 1955, although his most prolific period did not start until the 1970s. Ing ended up writing more than thirty novels during his career. His most successful work was in the techno-thriller genre, with his book The Ransom of Black Stealth One reaching The New York Times Best Seller list in 1989. His other work focused on high technology, survivalism, the military, and post-apocalyptic themes. He did a lot of work in the 1980s completing outlines and other works left unfinished by the late Mack Reynolds. Ing was a member of the self-appointed Citizens’ Advisory Council on National Space Policy, a space advocacy group that met in the 1980s and 1990s, focused on issues like single-stage-to-orbit launch systems and space-based missile defense systems, and which included many science fiction authors, including Jerry Pournelle, Greg Benford, and Larry Niven. The Exciting World of Cargo Hauling I’ll admit, the ins and outs of transportation have always fascinated me, ever since I first read Scuffy the Tugboat as a child and the bustling seaport that terrified the toy tugboat caught my imagination. While it may not seem particularly thrilling or glamorous to the casual reader, the latter half of the 20th century saw the world of trade and commerce go through a transformation. The change was driven by new procedures and technologies used in intermodal cargo handling—something I saw firsthand as a young Coast Guard reserve officer assigned to the Captain of the Port in Baltimore, Maryland during the 1980s. The development of standardized cargo containers increased the efficiency of cargo handling, preventing the need for cargo to be unloaded at ports of entry. New customs procedures facilitated these methods, with containers being sealed at their point of origin, and not opened and inspected until reaching their final destination. This significantly decreased the labor required to load and unload ships at seaports, and as a side benefit, cut down on pilferage. Ships got larger and more efficient, although this could be a mixed blessing as minimal crews and a lack of redundant systems made them more vulnerable to accidents. At the same time, other modes of transportation were going through similar evolutions. Railroads shifted from boxcars to flatbeds carrying standardized cargo containers, and even figured out ways to stack the containers on top of each other. FedEx, with their innovative “spoke and hub” system, was revolutionizing air shipping, and cutting delivery times dramatically. On the highways, truckers were also hauling standardized containers, and even pulling multiple trailers. The computer revolution facilitated this transformation, making it possible to order products efficiently, to track and manage cargos in ways not previously possible, and manage commerce right down to the delivery of single packages to the consumer at their home. Additionally, intermodal companies that managed cargo throughout its movement made the process even more efficient. While it has taken longer than some thought it would, space transportation is also seeing the beginning of a revolution, with private company launch systems outperforming governments and more traditional institutions, with reusable launch systems cutting costs, and with more countries, and even private companies, entering what used to be the exclusive club of space-faring organizations. One area where innovation has not made as much progress is in the field of lighter-than-air transport. I had the opportunity to fly on a Goodyear Blimp when the Coast Guard was evaluating the craft for surveillance duties, and even sit at the helm of one for a few minutes, and saw that these craft, while amazing to ride, were at the mercy of the wind, and difficult to handle in all but the most benign conditions. And having been hoisted in and out of a few helicopters over the years, I know that using any airborne platform to lift people and cargo is a difficult enterprise that requires the highest level of skill from the pilots and crews. The Big Lifters The book opens from the viewpoint of a long-haul trucker who is speeding to make up time with a load of heavy pipes. His tractor-trailer and load are described in extensive detail, a tactic Ing uses throughout the book in order to ground his tale in the real world. Then the viewpoint shifts to young John Wesley Peel, riding in a VW minivan with his grandmother, who took him in after his parents died in a trucking accident. Those viewpoints converge when the trucker swerves to avoid an antelope, his load comes free, the minivan is crushed, and the grievously injured John finds himself trapped, his face pushed up against the crushed face of his dead grandmother. With that gruesome image in their minds, readers are then introduced to Joseph Weatherby and the board of the National Transport Coalition, or NTC, discussing the disruptions the now-adult Peel is bringing to their industry. Weatherby is against making any attacks on Peel himself, but is willing to turn a blind eye if subordinates attempt to sabotage Peel’s factory or products. The perspective then shifts to Hassan Winthorp, a college professor who works for a Shiite terrorist group, helping them pick targets for murder by suicide bomber. He picks people who are in positions to increase the strength and power of the United States, whether through industry, politics, or public opinion. And one of those people is Peel. With these various threats being introduced and established, the narrative finally moves on to Peel himself (or Wes, as he now is known). And in true men’s adventure fashion, he is described as being dressed for comfort and action, having wide shoulders that strain his shirt and a flat belly, in spite of drinking too much Scotch; a true manly man of action. Wes is involved in just about every mode and method of handling cargo, driven by his traumatic accident to make the processes safer and more efficient. The only thing he is not interested in is space transportation, wanting to focus his efforts here on Earth. He is discussing one of the projects his company is working on—a magnetic levitation (maglev) train that uses powerful superconducting magnets. There are issues with a canard wing that helps keep the train stay in position as it floats above its track. We then meet Evangeline, or Vangie, Broussard, Wes’ executive assistant. She is described as having beautiful dark skin and hair, and dressing in a conservative manner. But just as you think the character might escape being objectified, the reader is assured that everyone speculates how good she looks underneath those conservative clothes. Wes meets Glenn Rogan, a test pilot who will assist with one of their other projects, a giant delta-shaped cargo-lifting dirigible. You can tell Glenn is going to be a main character, because he is described as having a solid muscular belly and sinewy forearms. Wes shows Glenn one of his other projects, a small tractor rig designed to haul trailers on secondary roads where the power of a full-sized highway tractor is not required. Suddenly a tractor-trailer rig gets loose without a driver (unknown to everyone, it’s because of NTC sabotage), and careens toward a building filled with people. Wes uses one of the small tractors to divert the rig, saving everyone. Wes then shows Glenn Delta One, their high-tech dirigible, and Glenn falls in love. Speaking of love, later on Wes and Vangie begin to flirt, because why would there be a female character in a men’s adventure if she wasn’t going to be someone’s love interest? They test Delta One by lifting cargo containers on and off a train. And then they test it by lifting containers on and off a moving train, proving they can transfer cargo without needing to stop to unload. I thought this was pretty preposterous, but then realized that when it came to technology, Ing wasn’t interested in what was feasible and practical; he was interested in what was possible. And these passages, where the engineers are testing new vehicles and technology, are the parts of the book I enjoyed the best. We move on to an interlude where the Shiite terrorists take out a target, and are reminded that Wes is getting closer to the top of their list. Then it’s back to science experiments: There is a launch system in Arizona that uses high-powered lasers to heat reaction mass like hydrogen in rocket nozzles, eliminating the need for chemical reactions. They use this laser system to heat engines on the belly of Delta One, and push her high enough to fly over the Rocky Mountains. The test is a success, although they have used magnesium struts near their engines, and one is ignited by the laser. Magnesium gets very, very hot when it burns, which almost creates a catastrophe. Behind the scenes, unknown to Wes, his team has a hidden project going on behind the scenes, which is concealed behind their efforts to build a canard on the maglev train. Unlike him, they are interested in space travel, and have come up with a rather wild plan to use a combination of the maglev and that laser launch system to launch a small commercial spaceplane into orbit. Ing is juggling a lot of balls in the air as the story jumps from viewpoint to viewpoint, but all of the threads eventually come together. Before the end of the book, Wes and his companions will work to develop all sorts of revolutionary technologies (doing their best not to kill themselves along the way), try to come to terms with the hostile NTC, and foil the fundamentalist terror attacks. In the meantime, Wes and Vangie will find that the road to love is not always a straight one. Because of the episodic nature of the plot, the sometimes-purple prose, and the men’s adventure clichés, I found the book a bit difficult in the beginning. But by the end, I found myself being swept up by all the action, and actually enjoyed the ride. Final Thoughts The Big Lifters is not a perfect book. It is a bit formulaic, and many of the characters tend toward being clichés. But Ing knows his technology, has done his homework, and in the sections where the team is testing new vehicles and systems, the author’s enthusiasm is contagious. The old-fashioned men’s adventure plots may not be the literary equivalent of a nutritious meal, but they can be a satisfying kind of snack food. Now I turn the floor over to you, especially if you have read The Big Lifters, or other works by Dean Ing—and if there are other entertaining science fiction books about hauling cargo, I’d love to hear about them.[end-mark] The post Making Cargo Hauling Exciting: <i>The Big Lifters</i> by Dean Ing appeared first on Reactor.

The Joe Biden-appointed judge who halted the Trump administration’s deportation of about 350,000 Haitians has a background as a private Democrat financial supporter, though with a sometimes-unpredictable judicial record. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, of the District of Columbia, on Monday determined President Donald Trump’s termination of temporary protective status, or TPS, for certain Haitian immigrants “shall be null, void, and of no legal effect” until the case was complete. Here are six things to know about Reyes. 1. ‘Transgender’ Military Service Ruling In March 2025, Reyes blocked a Trump administration executive order that expelled certain transgender military service members. The Trump administration argued the order barring transgender individuals “turns on gender dysphoria—a medical condition—and does not discriminate against trans-identifying persons as a class.”  Reyes countered that the order was a ban on transgender people. She added in her opinion that “leaders have used concern for military readiness to deny marginalized persons the privilege of serving.”   2. Litigating Against Trump In a 2018 case that predated her time as a judge, Reyes was on the legal team representing 19 people who crossed the southern border without going through a port of entry. A federal judge in the case said the Trump administration could not automatically deport anyone for not using a port of entry. The individuals were represented by the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services. Reyes, then with the firm of Williams and Connolly, told Courthouse News that the ruling was a “huge win for refugees.” “The ruling is a victory for refugees who want to live safely with their families,” Reyes said. “We’re grateful that the court carefully considered all the issues and issued a detailed, as you’ve seen, 77-page opinion.” 3. Democrat Donor Federal Election Commission records show that Reyes was a consistent donor to Democrat candidates and liberal political organizations while in private practice.   In 2020, she gave $2,800 to the Joe Biden presidential campaign, and $5,600 to the Biden Victory Fund, which were legally separate entities. In 2019, FEC records show she made six separate $500 donations to the Kamala Harris Democrat primary campaign. In 2016, she made a $2,700 donation to the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. She also contributed $2,500 to President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012. As first reported by The Federalist last year, she gave more than $1,700 to Defeat by Tweet, which is “a Democratic-aligned super PAC that allows liberal donors to sign up to contribute as little as a penny to liberal groups in battleground states each time Trump made a post a Twitter, the social media platform now known as X.   She also made numerous donations of less than $100 to the Democrat fundraising platform ActBlue, as well as small donations to Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. 4. ‘Much-Needed Diversity’ Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., suggested that President Joe Biden nominate Reyes for the D.C. district court. A Norton press release said, “Reyes will be the first Hispanic woman and first openly LGBTQ person ever to serve on that court.” “Ana Reyes has the intelligence, temperament, and integrity to be an excellent federal judge,” Norton said in February 2023 after the Senate confirmed Reyes by a vote of 51-47. “She will also bring much-needed diversity to the federal bench. I look forward to her service.” 5. Applying the Rules to Biden DOJ Reyes was not reliably in the Biden administration’s corner after ascending to the court. In April 2024, the judge did not allow the Justice Department to ignore subpoenas by the House Judiciary Committee investigating whether prosecutors gave special treatment to President Biden’s son Hunter. The committee tried to compel two DOJ tax lawyers, Mark Daly and Jack Morgan, to face a deposition about Hunter Biden. The department resisted. Reyes noted the Justice Department prosecuted former Trump aide Peter Navarro for not responding to a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol. “The rules apply to you all too,” Reyes told Justice Department lawyers. 6. Sentencing for Trump Tax Leaker In January 2024, Reyes sentenced former Internal Revenue Service consultant Charles Littlejohn to five years in prison for leaking Trump’s tax returns, along with the returns of thousands of other wealthy people. Reyes called the leak of Trump’s tax information, “an attack on our constitutional democracy.” “When you target the sitting president of the United States, you’re targeting the office and when you’re targeting the office of the president of the United States, you’re targeting democracy — you’re targeting our constitutional system of government,” Reyes said in the sentencing. The post 6 Things to Know About Judge Who Blocked Trump Deportation of Haitian Immigrants appeared first on The Daily Signal.

On Jan. 3 the United States launched Operation Absolute Resolve capturing wanted drug kingpin and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Perhaps in response, on Jan. 15 the Chinese government revealed footage of the People’s Liberation Army conducting a mock decapitation strike training exercise. Such a threat by Beijing should be taken seriously, but how likely is it? The PLA’s video raises serious questions about the People’s Republic of China’s willingness to conduct a decapitation strike against Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. As seen in recent years, China has clearly demonstrated its intentions to annex Taiwan. To do so, the Chinese Communist Party has been trying to politically convince Taiwan to acquiesce but is failing. Critically, a decapitation strike alone against Taiwan would not ensure the PRC achieves its goal. Operation Absolute Resolve did not change the Venezuelan government but only removed Maduro from power. His government still holds power in Venezuela. Likewise, even if Taiwan lost Lai, the current government would continue under Vice President Hsiao Bi-Khim. Unlike Venezuela’s Maduro, many of the Taiwanese people support the Taiwanese government and prefer it over the PRC. It’s worth recalling a clear majority of the Taiwanese people identify as Taiwanese rather than Chinese and most of them are against unification with China. Therefore, removing Lai is highly unlikely to turn the citizens against the Taiwanese government and in favor of PRC. Instead, China may attempt to blockade Taiwan in order to compel them to join the PRC. China could also order a large heavily coordinated amphibious invasion. These larger operations, which would likely open with mass missile strikes, would likely include early targeted attacks on Taiwan’s leadership. If Beijing were to attempt a decapitation strike, it would almost certainly elicit a robust response from the U.S. and its allies. The 2025 National Security Strategy stated the U.S.’s will pursue “deterring conflict over Taiwan” and will attempt to keep the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait. At the low end of that response would likely be strong and enduring sanctions isolating the PRC at a time it remains economically vulnerable to overseas supply of critical resources. Better understanding these vulnerabilities was one focal point of The Heritage Foundation’s recent project TIDALWAVE. A PRC attempt to launch a decapitation strike could even lead to a war between China and the U.S. that would be a global disaster. By some estimates such a conflict could result in the loss of around 100,000 PLA personnel and cost $2-3 trillion dollars to China’s economy alone. This cost, however, is not enough to dissuade the Communist regime alone. But does the Chinese military even have the capability to execute a successful decapitation strike against Taiwan? Absolute Resolve was conducted smoothly due to the skills and planning of the United States’ military. These skills and capabilities were refined in combat operations such as Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001, Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2002, Operation Inherent Resolve in 2014, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in 2015, and Operation Enduring Sentinel 2021. Maduro’s capture involved high levels of coordination of over 150 aircraft. The operation was conducted against a vastly underprepared Venezuelan military that relied on Cuban soldiers to help protect Maduro. This gave the U.S. a substantial advantage that China does not have relative to Taiwan. However, it is unlikely China would be able to successfully extract the Taiwanese president with such ease. In recent years China has practiced various military drills throughout China and the South China Sea, including decapitation strikes. Despite these many drills, the PLA lacks combat field experience in modern warfare. For example, the Sea Dragons, the Chinese navy’s special forces, have only had field experience in antipiracy operations and majority of their personnel have never been deployed. Additionally, many of the PLA’s special operations teams are still reliant on military conscripts, who have less training and experience, rather than a professionalized army. Meanwhile, Taiwan lives under the constant threat of an attack and has prepared for this. This includes highly advanced early warning systems such as “RADARs, satellites, airborne early warning aircraft, drones, and naval vessels.” Additionally, Taiwan’s 202nd Military Command, which focuses on protecting the president and residents of Taiwan, includes battalions specifically for protecting the presidential office and Lai’s residency. In recent years, the 202nd has increased its counter-decapitation capabilities, including equipping a Taipei artillery unit with Stinger anti-air missiles. Weapons that greatly complicated Russia’s combat close air support in the early phases of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.   Furthermore, Taiwan’s military studies the PLA’s military drills and operations in order to formulate plans to counter various types of attacks, including decapitation strikes. This makes it considerably more difficult for an inexperienced PLA to conduct a successful strike against Lai. A kill order using long range missiles is more achievable but highly escalatory and could lead to the very pressure, sanctions, or U.S. involvement it wishes to avoid with no guarantee of success. In sum, due to the inherent risks and uncertainty of success, a PRC decapitation strike against Taiwan in the near-term is unlikely. However, that does not mean Taiwan is safe, and Beijing’s recent threats should be taken seriously as they are intended to distract and sow division in Taipei. As such, the United States and its allies must remain vigilant to respond effectively to any provocation across the Taiwan Strait. The post What Maduro’s Capture Says About a Similar Raid by China on Taiwan appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters on Tuesday that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement does not need a judicial warrant to arrest an illegal immigrant who already has an administrative warrant and decides to hide from the law in a private residence. “When ICE goes to execute a warrant, it’s an administrative warrant, and it’s issued by an immigration judge. That is sufficient legal authority to go and apprehend them,” Johnson said. “They have violated the law, they have crossed over a border illegally, and they’re here without any right to be here.” Johnson issued the remarks after Democrats accused ICE of violating the 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects people from “unreasonable searches and seizures.” From Johnson’s perspective, however, requiring judicial warrants would be “unimplementable,” and those advocating for it “don’t want any immigration enforcement.” “Now the controversy has erupted, because if someone is going to be apprehended, and they run behind a closed door, what is immigration enforcement supposed to do at that point?” Johnson asked. “There are some logic and reason that has to be applied here,” Johnson added. “[Democrats] want to have a judicial warrant on top of the immigration judge’s warrant, and we can’t do that.” Johnson also said that there is an urgency to avoid any effort that slows down deportation operations, as he stated that former President Joe Biden’s open border policies allowed “20 million illegals” to come “across the border just in the last 4 years.” “Imagine if we had to go through the process of getting a judicial warrant to apprehend people who we know are illegal. How much time would that take? We don’t have enough judges; we don’t have enough time,” the speaker added. “It would take decades, probably, to do that.” The post Johnson Refutes Judicial Warrant Claim for Deportation Efforts appeared first on The Daily Signal.

BREAKING: Getting Hairy in Hormuz: US Shoots Down Iranian Drone, Iran Confronts US Tanker

NY Times Defends Activist Behind Church Disruption