A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to fire hundreds of employees working for the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM). U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth blocked Acting USAGM CEO Kari Lake’s plan to lay off 532 employees while litigation over the case proceeds. Most of the employees who were set to be terminated on September 30 worked for Voice of America, a taxpayer-funded international media outlet that Lake has described as “rotten to the core” and “anti-American.”  “The Reduction in Force announced by Defendant Lake on or about August 29, 2025, is SUSPENDED and may NOT be implemented, effectuated, or completed in any way,” Lamberth wrote.  Lake said that the firings were necessary to “help reduce the federal bureaucracy, improve agency service, and save the American people more of their hard-earned money.” USAGM operates other networks, such as Radio Free Europe and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks.  Get 40% off new DailyWire+ annual memberships with code FALL40 at checkout!  Lamberth said that the Trump administration did not defend the firings on their merits. “Rather than providing a rationale for the [reduction in force] on its merits, the defendants instead offer an array of other reasons not to grant relief. But even a cursory examination of the relevant law and key facts reveal these objections are all bark and no bite,” he wrote.  The judge stated that a recent Supreme Court ruling, which allowed the Trump administration to fire hundreds of Department of Education employees, did not apply to this case. He also said that Lake had ignored previous directives from the court.  “The Court must offer an observation on the concerning disrespect the defendants have shown toward the Court’s orders since the entry of the preliminary injunction. It is the Court’s view that the defendants’ disregard for its earlier orders to produce information would more than support a trial on civil contempt,” he wrote.  In a statement to the Washington Post, Lake said that she has “seen a huge ‘disrespect’ from the district courts toward the Executive Branch and the American people who have voted overwhelmingly to support President Donald J. Trump.” In March, Trump signed an executive order that directed the USAGM to be “eliminated to the maximum extent possible consistent with federal law.” The Trump administration has argued that agency-run outlets like Voice of America have become increasingly partisan and pushed radical leftist ideologies. In a fact sheet, the White House pointed to reports on transgender-identifying migrants wanting asylum in the United States and “white privilege.”

'reasserting God’s sovereignty over all creation'

'Unbelievably unconstitutional'

'Prisoners of war'

Tropical Storm Imelda formed Tuesday into Hurricane Imelda

In mid-September, a boring machine defeated the last meter of rock 4,500 feet under the Brenner Pass in the Alps to connect the world’s longest tunnel dug for railroad track. Envisioned as an important connecting vein that will one day see trains running from Helsinki, Finland, to Palermo, Sicily, it will slash commuter times across […] The post Austria and Italy Finish Digging World’s Longest Rail Tunnel–Ready to Reshape Travel Maps appeared first on Good News Network.

Books Five Books About Five SFF Books About Searching for a Missing Sibling Yume Kitasei recommends five SFF books about sibling quests By Yume Kitasei | Published on September 30, 2025 Comment 0 Share New Share These days, romantic storylines dominate the market. While I enjoy them as much as the next person, as a writer I find myself more drawn to “friendmances” about the highs and lows of deep platonic friendships and, like in my most recent book, Saltcrop, stories about siblings. Siblings can offer an interesting foil for the main character or be a source of information about the main character’s past. These are people with similar origins who developed under similar environmental factors, yet may still have ended up with very different worldviews, allegiances, and ways of life. How does that happen? And what does that tell us about who the main character is? Siblings are often side characters, but my favorite kind of story is when the siblings are the one of the main characters, or even, sometimes, the whole point of the story. Take, for example, the classic quest for a missing sibling. Whether siblings love or hate each other, the familial bond can drive characters to do extraordinary things to rescue each other. And along the way, there’s ample room for discovery as a character is forced to confront how the person they love has changed in adulthood—and how they themselves have changed. Siblings who grow up together are like intertwined trees: remove one, and its absence is still clear in the shape of the remaining trunk, and that absence is a space rich with mystery and tension. In Saltcrop, two sisters set out across a climate-ravaged ocean to find their missing sister, and in the process realize there are many things they didn’t know about her—or each other. But the thing about siblings is, it doesn’t matter whether you know the details of their current life, you would still go to the ends of the Earth for them. Here are five science fiction and fantasy books that do the ‘sibling quest’ justice: The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J.R. Dawson This gorgeous Orpheus retelling by Dawson tells the story of a young woman, Charlie, grieving for her dead sister in modern-day Chicago when she accidentally follows a dog into the in-between place where souls wait to cross to the underworld. (Yes, a dog—the dogs in this book are as wonderful as the sister story.) There, in limbo, Charlie begins to hope that with the help of Nera, the daughter of the Charon-like ferryman, there might be a way to cross over to the land of the dead itself and rescue her sister. But at what cost? The story is gently devastating as it digs into both the little things that we remember about our loved ones and how losing a sibling can damage the structural integrity of a whole family. Girl in the Creek by Wendy Wagner Over on the horror side of the spectrum, another young woman, Erin, searches for her missing brother where he was last seen in the Clackamas National Forest. Before he went missing, they’d gone their separate paths in adulthood. Part of the mystery is not just finding out what happened to him, but also what he was doing out there in the first place. In the traces he left behind, she begins to get to know the person he’s become in adulthood. Oh, and the forest is inhabited by a sentient mycelial network both unnerving and enthralling, making the search urgent, dangerous, and all the more important. It’s also a great metaphor for the invisible strength of family relationships that drives the search in the first place. Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa In the Holy Vaalbaran Empire, Enitan is a scribe in an oppressed, colonized world managing to survive. When she returns home to find her sibling abducted, she’s forced to pack up her tea and travel to the capital itself to try to rescue them. The sibling quest is at the heart of this story, but along the way, Enitan gets drawn into a much larger conspiracy afoot in the rotten core of the empire. Ashing-Giwa masterfully depicts the broad and personal impact of subjugation and exploitation. This Great Hemisphere by Mateo Askaripour I love a dystopian novel, and this one is unlike anything I’ve read before: it depicts a future world where half the population is second class and literally invisible. This physical difference has sweeping social implications and makes the invisibles both the object of fear and disgust. Against this backdrop, Sweetmint, one of the invisible, learns that her missing and beloved older brother is both alive and the suspect of a major political assassination. Determined to find her brother before the state does, this novel is another great example of how you can love someone without really knowing them, and also how two similar people might end up different roads but still find themselves bending back toward each other in adulthood. The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He Sibling quests have always been perfect for the Young Adult arena—they’re one of the most important relationships you have growing up. In this future world, the sisters are both searching for each other. The main character, Cee, is determined to find her sister Kasey—even when she has no memory of anything else—and sets out across the ocean to find her. Meanwhile, Kasey, a teen science prodigy living in a sealed city with a radical plan to save the Earth, is trying to piece together what might have happened to Cee. This novel is a journey through the complexities of family and in doing so explores the secrets we keep from each other and maybe ourselves. Buy the Book Saltcrop Yume Kitasei Buy Book Saltcrop Yume Kitasei Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget The post Five SFF Books About Searching for a Missing Sibling appeared first on Reactor.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Governments around the world are increasingly turning to digital ID systems, and Russia is the latest example of how these tools can be tied directly to state control. The country has begun testing a digital identification feature inside Max, a messaging platform created by VKontakte and tightly aligned with the government. The app is being built as an all-in-one hub, offering communication, payments, government portals, and commercial services in a model echoing China’s WeChat. The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media is overseeing the pilot, which started last week, according to Izvestia. Adults who want to activate the feature must link their Max account with Gosuslugi, Russia’s state services portal. Verification requires either biometric data stored in the Unified Biometric System or a passport upload, combined with a selfie. Once confirmed, the app generates a dynamic QR code stored on the user’s device, serving as their official digital ID. Initial tests are limited to proving age at Magnit supermarkets in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Krasnodar. Officials plan to extend the system far beyond supermarkets. State agencies will gain verified user profiles, while companies can provide access to mini-apps and chatbots for tasks ranging from paying fines to booking medical visits, similar to China’s WeChat. On top of that, content creators are being encouraged to use Max, and as of September 1, the app must be pre-installed on every smartphone sold in the country. The reach of this project raises sharp questions about privacy and surveillance. Max’s terms allow user data to be shared with government bodies, and VKontakte has a track record of close cooperation with authorities. With so many essential services tied into one state-controlled app, users risk handing over sensitive personal information without meaningful safeguards or alternatives. The timing also comes as Russia exerts tighter control over online communication. In August, Telegram and WhatsApp faced restrictions after officials accused them of enabling criminal activity and terrorism. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Russia Pilots State-Linked Digital ID Through Max App appeared first on Reclaim The Net.