'Bye-bye, New York'

'Proactive actions we are taking'

But the clock is ticking.

JD VANCE CONDEMNS THE SHUTDOWN ... JD VANCE: What the Democrats are doing on the government shutdown is genuinely unprecedented, and while the administration has shielded the American people from the worst of the consequences, all of this is coming, and soon: An aviation emergency that will lead to significant travel delays for all Americans.

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Books reading recommendations Five SFF Stories About the Power of Fire Sometimes destructive, sometimes giving warmth and light, always a bit magical. By Ratika Deshpande | Published on November 7, 2025 Photo by Jamie Street [via Unsplash] Comment 0 Share New Share Photo by Jamie Street [via Unsplash] I am fascinated by all the different ways that we can perceive, interpret, and understand fire. For historians, it’s a tool that changed humankind. For the arsonist, it’s a weapon. For the cold, it’s life-giving warmth. For the lost or stranded, it’s hope. And for the writer of speculative fiction, it’s an element that can come alive, literally, figuratively, and/or spiritually to bind and to protect, or to curse and to kill, as in the following stories: “The Fires of Mercy” by Spencer Ellsworth The assassin, a mind-eater, and her men had gone to the palace to kill everyone living there, as revenge for the emperor’s lack of belief in the Thirteenth Prophet. She spared one woman, however, along with her child—the heir, still only a baby—and escaped with them into the desert. She carries with her a pendant, a forbidden weapon that could end the world with fire. A weapon that wasn’t made to be used—unless her men have been stripped of those secrets of her Order which must never be known to anyone. She knows her men will follow her, to finish their job. And so as they run out of food and water and strength, she decides it’s better that the mother and the child die by her hand, for “each act of war must have at its heart an act of mercy.” But what is mercy, exactly? And how does our interpretation of it affect the consequences? A vivid story that keeps you tense throughout. “Our Fire, Given Freely” by Seth Dickinson Rider Bray was made “şövalye, first of all the Horse People” by the Queen. The people of her retinue give their fire—their strength—to her every morning so she has the power she needs to fight the war against the King of Emmer Wheat for her Queen, who also receives the tribute of fire from all her subjects.  Meanwhile, all over the land, the people starve and fall sick, devoid of their fire. But Rider Bray has been given her role by the Queen and it is the war she must care about, above all else. Still, she can’t ignore that reality anymore once she meets Marantic Lind, who has somehow managed to convince the Walkers and the Horse People to work together. He thinks he can help the Queen end the war—and do much, much more—but as a şövalye, Rider is resistant. There’s a reason the fire is given to the şövalye. What would become of those like her, if she were to listen to Marantic Lind—and if, despite her reservations, he turned out to have a better approach? “Fireskin” by Joanne Rixon One day the warrior Aun-ki wakes up to find that her skin has become hot as fire—anything that touches it burns and leaves behind blisters. Even the lightest fabrics on her skin hurt; the water she bathes in turns to steam. Court magicians and healers and alchemists fail to help her, and as she hides away from the world, people start to speculate what could have cursed her and what could treat it.  To seek a cure, she takes leave of her king, whom she’d served loyally in battle, most notably by defeating the Great Winged Lion Chiar-shu. She travels to icy lakes and holy places, but the fire remains. As she attempts yet another journey to seek a cure, she comes across a village where things are very, very wrong. She’d been on a quest to help herself, but Aun-ki the warrior may yet have a lot of work to do. An engrossing tale that had me rooting for Aun-ki, sharing her frustrations, and finding myself heartbroken at the bittersweet ending. A wonderful story! “After the Fire” by Aliette de Bodard Jiaotan finds herself woken up from hibernation by the ship’s Mind; there are repairs to be done. But that’s the job of Sukuang, her sister and an engineer. Why didn’t the ship wake her up instead?  As Jiaotan makes her way to the navigation room, she discovers that Sukuang is already up—but she’s not fixing the ship. She’s considering suicide, haunted by the destruction they all brought upon earth before they left, for the human-made White Fire that killed the planet and everyone on it, except those who left on the ship.  Jiaotan, only a poet, knows that seeking death is not an answer, despite her grief—which she’s aware of, now that she’s awake and conscious. But then, what is the answer that they’re headed towards? And would it really help? The Fire left its mark on everyone, after all… “Daughter, Mother, Charcoal” by Akis Linardos The fire in the hearth keeps the people safe from faerie who lure women and girls with their song. Only the men are immune, and so only they can go out to work and put food on the table. The women and girls must never leave their house. They must tend to the fire by giving it life from their own body.  At present, the narrator’s mother performs this task. Next, it would be our narrator’s turn. She has to accept her role, but there’s only so long one can spend trapped inside four walls. So one night, our narrator takes a candle, steals the fire from the hearth and steps outside, to see what’s so dangerous about the faerie. The answers are both exciting and disappointing. So she continues sneaking out. But then the fire starts to weaken. Is she responsible? And what would happen if she has to forget everything she wants and take up the responsibility of keeping the fire ablaze, to keep them all “safe”?[end-mark] The post Five SFF Stories About the Power of Fire appeared first on Reactor.

In the wake of Democrats sweeping Virginia’s three statewide offices and adding to their majority in the House of Delegates Tuesday, many conservatives I know are downhearted, disillusioned, and depressed. Fingers begin to feel like pointing. And to extrapolate on the old expression, “Victory has 100 fathers, but defeat is an orphan,” I’ll add that defeat does seem to have many cousins telling it where it went wrong. But not to sound like a Pollyanna, we need to remember the good in this commonwealth and in this country. Today, so many of my friends are looking for positive things in the conservative world to reinforce their belief that the future can still be filled with American exceptionalism. >>> Sign up for our Virginia email newsletter It is with that in mind that I share with you a conversation I had with two Virginia high school students who are boldly standing up for America’s founding principles from the Turning Point USA chapter they founded at Western Albemarle High School. Having created one of the largest TPUSA chapters in the nation, two very bright and ambitious young men, Noah Coffin and Ollie Woodrow, have dedicated themselves to educating and training not just conservative students, but all students at their school about the constitutional and conservative values that helped shape the United States—free speech, free-market capitalism, and limited government, to name a few. Their successful work, following the model of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, gives us inspiration that the future is not lost—and that there is a new generation rising all across the country that will not only keep that awesome spirit of American exceptionalism alive but will soon be turning this nation back around for the better. Listen here: The post Hope and Principles After Defeat: Virginia Students Stand for Freedom appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Tinder has become the latest major platform to reach further into users’ personal data, using artificial intelligence as its justification. After nine consecutive quarters of falling subscriber numbers, the dating app’s parent company, Match Group, is testing a new system called Chemistry. The tool is designed to learn about users through questions and, if permitted, by scanning images stored in their phone’s Camera Roll to interpret interests and personality traits. Match says this data-driven approach will improve compatibility between users. The pilot is currently taking place in New Zealand and Australia, and CEO Spencer Rascoff has described it as “a major pillar of Tinder’s upcoming 2026 product experience.” The plan raises growing concerns about how far companies will go in asking for access to private information under the guise of personalization. Match is not the only company following this path. Meta recently launched an AI feature that scans phone photos that people have never uploaded, offering to make editing suggestions. In both cases, users are being asked to trust large corporations with intimate, locally stored data that goes well beyond what is necessary for normal app use. The benefits offered in exchange for this access are minimal, while the privacy risks are considerable. Match claims its system will use AI to create better matches by interpreting visual clues and user responses. While the company presents this as a positive experience, it depends on giving an app direct access to personal files that were never meant for data analysis. Match has already acknowledged that this experiment comes at a financial cost. Tinder’s use of AI extends further. It now employs a language model to prompt users with “Are you sure?” before they send potentially “offensive” messages. Another system suggests which profile photos might attract more attention. Alongside these AI efforts, Tinder has added new engagement tools such as themed dating modes, group dates, facial verification, and redesigned profiles that highlight bio information and prompts more prominently. Despite these updates, Tinder continues to face declining engagement as many younger people move toward meeting in person instead of online. Others are becoming more cautious about how their personal data is used, especially when companies demand expanded access to private storage. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Tinder Wants Your Camera Roll and Calls It Chemistry appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

James Lindsay Is Right: Groypers Have Embraced Queer Theory