'We are not going to play games'

News What to Watch What to Read and Watch This Weekend: How Many Ways Can You Be Chaotic in Space? Seriously, though, Wake Up Dead Man should have at least gotten a nod in Adapted Screenplay… By Molly Templeton | Published on January 23, 2026 Photo Credit: Brooke Palmer/Paramount+. Comment 0 Share New Share Photo Credit: Brooke Palmer/Paramount+. Dear entire eastern half of the U.S., I’m sorry you’re facing Snowpocalypse 2000. (I’ve lost track of how many snowpocalypses we’ve had in the last few years alone.) I hope you’ve got snacks and groceries and books; I hope everyone comes through this okay, without burst pipes and broken branches and all the other winter chaos that has the potential to happen. I hope the snow is pretty for at least a little while before it becomes that terrible gray slush that soaks into your boots even when it shouldn’t. And all of this goes double for folks in Minnesota who are striking today to protest ICE. There are so many things to call your reps about these days. This is definitely one of them. Oh Captain! My Captain!: Starfleet Academy’s Nahla Ake Is the Leader I Want I am not fully sold on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy as a show, exactly. Some of the kids are great, some of them are terrible (must we have the put-upon pretty boy jock in every school show?); generally I wish they were not all vaguely twenty-four or so (but acting like high-schoolers), as people can join Starfleet at any age. What I wouldn’t give for an adult student with some Troublesome Life Experience under their belt! (Yes, Caleb Mir has a lot of life experience, but he is only written like he has said experience sometimes.) But I will never stop watching this show because of Holly Hunter. As Captain Nahla Ake and the chancellor of the academy, she is … nontraditional. She wears shoes (and her uniform) as little as possible. She does incredible things with her face. The way she sits in chairs—including the captain’s chair—can only be described as chaotic. When she curled up in that chair with her reading glasses and an actual print book, I thought, yes. This woman is four hundred years old. She found her hobbies in a different age. There are things she loves that are outdated. Her thinking isn’t—she’s sharp, she loves the kids’ hijinks even as she wants them to be better prankers, she cares, and she doesn’t buy into any tough love, distant-powerful-leader nonsense. She didn’t want the job, but she has it, and she’s going to do it her way. I love her. And I love when a show about young characters remembers that the adults shouldn’t all suck. Those kids need some adults to show them that growing up isn’t awful.  Sad Space Dad Bee Marine: The Best Jupiter Ascending Post Ever Everyone—I assume—has a post or three that truly rank as “things I read long ago and have thought about all the time for years on end.” Last week, I was reminded of one of mine: This brilliant, over-the-top, Comic-Sans-using Tumblr post about Jupiter Ascending, which tries very hard to explain the movie and absolutely fails. This is not a failing of the post itself; the move is simply un-explainable. Which does not mean that it is un-enjoyable. It’s a goddamn delight. It fully understands the assignment, which is to revel in Jupiter Ascending’s eyeball-punching glory while also laughing—lovingly!—about how over the top it all is. “This movie is what would happen if Labyrinth and The Fifth Element had a baby which later on watched Star Wars while really high and was like HEY I COULD TOTALLY MAKE THAT and then was given the multimillion dollar budget of The Matrix to make it happen. Please go see it,” the post says, and I agree. (Leah Schnelbach said something similar, in their own way, when reviewing the movie.) For what it’s worth, Jupiter Ascending was released on February 5, 2015, so it’s about to turn 11. Won’t anyone think of the 11-year-old movies? Give Sinners All the Awards—But Watch Some Other Movies, Too The Oscar nominations were announced yesterday, and—as is right and proper—Sinners dominated, becoming the most nominated movie in Oscars history. The Oscar voters did pretty alright this year overall, but it was one hell of a year for movies, and there are an absolute pile of films that didn’t make the cut but are still worth your time. And my time, as I have been failing at going to movies for months now! But the nice thing is that many of these not-nominated films can now be watched from the comfort of your living room, including Wake Up Dead Man (Netflix; Leah will not stop shouting about it); Sorry, Baby (HBO; I promise nothing bad happens to the cat); Die My Love (MUBI); Hedda (Prime); Black Bag (Prime); The History of Sound (MUBI); The Mastermind (MUBI); Mickey 17 (HBO, Prime). I am dying to see A Useful Ghost, but it doesn’t appear to be available yet. Humph.  There are a few others that are still in theaters, depending on where you live, like No Other Choice and The Testament of Ann Lee. Are all of these SFF? Nope! But good movies are good movies. Or you could watch Sinners again. It’s entirely worth it.  Winter is Here, and So Is the Seasonally Appropriate Reading Material It’s cold out. The older I get, the more I find it hard to even joke about the weather; there are too many people living out in it at all times, and our cities and states and country are not great at taking care of them. I get mad a lot. But winter as a concept, as a season, gets a lot of literary attention. In recent years, we’ve had Nina MacLaughlin’s lovely Winter Solstice and Katharine May’s popular Wintering; this week, another winter book is out. Val McDermid’s Winter: The Story of a Season sounds as if it’s part memoir, part look at the traditions of winter. Which, personally, I could use a few more of—traditions beyond “cursing about how cold my hands are” and “drinking excessive amounts of hot chocolate,” anyway.  There are also, of course, plenty of wintry SFF novels, if that is more your speed at the moment. Stay warm out there![end-mark] The post What to Read and Watch This Weekend: How Many Ways Can You Be Chaotic in Space? appeared first on Reactor.

On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance appeared at Midwest Terminals in Toledo, Ohio, where he touted the successes of the Trump administration. Vance’s speech centered around “the great American comeback,” in wake of the Biden administration. Vice President JD Vance Delivers Remarks in Toledo, Ohio, Jan. 22, 2026 https://t.co/HXLmSKCEOI— Vice President JD Vance (@VP) January 22, 2026 Prosperity Under Trump The vice president believes the American economy is about to boom. “I think that we are on the cusp of the greatest economic year in the history of the United America, because we’re doing something new,” Vance said. Vance voiced the Trump administration’s appreciation of the American worker, and contrasted this administration with the policies of offshoring and globalization of prior administrations. “We’re investing in you, we’re investing in American workers, we’re investing in American businesses and we’re saying to everybody that the United States is open for business, but only if you invest in our great American people and our great American businesses,” Vance asserted. “We are done with the old approach of shipping American jobs overseas and investing in everybody else,” the vice president added. “We are back to investing in the American worker, and we’re not going to stop fighting for you until we return America to true golden age of great American prosperity.” .@VP: "I think that we are on the cusp of the greatest economic year in the history of the United States of America because we're doing something new for a change — we're investing in YOU… and we're saying to everybody that the United States is open for business, but only if… pic.twitter.com/GjvosqyAFz— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 22, 2026 Vance continued to tout the adminsitration’s accomplishments that matter to Ohioans, including no taxes on tips and no taxes on overtime. But there is still work to be done, especially when it comes to affordability after the Biden-era inflation. Vance vowed to “fight every single day for better home prices for Americans, for lower prescription drug prices, and of course, for rising wages.” “That is what we’re going to do, that is what we have done, and that is what we promise will be the legacy of the second Trump administration: more prosperity for you,” Vance claimed. .@VP: "The Democrats talk a lot about the affordability crisis in the United States of America, and yes, there is an affordability crisis — one created by Joe Biden's policies… The average American has seen $1,300 of real increase in their wages just in the past year. Well… pic.twitter.com/ltbq81tJ6G— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 22, 2026 Midterm Elections But for the Trump administration to achieve its objectives, the 2026 midterms are crucial. Democrats are attempting to take the House and Senate from Republicans. The GOP has narrow majorities in both chambers. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, represents Toledo in Congress, and Republicans believe they can flip Kaptur’s seat this November. Kaptur, in response to being called out in Vance’s speech, said, “The Trump Administration’s reckless tariffs and disastrous trade wars are straining the pocketbooks of workers, farmers, and consumers across our area–but I’m glad Vice President Vance took the time to visit and learn from our world-class workforce.” “It was great to hear that he’s now interested in lowering drug prices after voting against those efforts in the Senate,” Kaptur continued. “Unsurprisingly, the VP avoided discussing the 68,000 manufacturing jobs lost nationwide over the past year or the $45 Million federal investment in Libbey Glass and tens of millions in Northwest Ohio road projects canceled on his watch–investments that would keep our region competitive. Northwest Ohioans see through fancy airplanes and staged drop by visits. They know I’ll never give up on our people or our future.” Vance also gave a shout out to Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, who was appointed as his replacement. Husted is running in November’s special election against former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. The gubernatorial election also received a mention, with Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and his running mate, Senate President Rob McColley present. “The question in November, it’s very fundamental,” Vance said. “It’s going to be do we reward the people like Jon Husted, who cut your taxes, who fight for lower housing costs, who fight for lower prescription drug costs? Or do we reward the crazy, far-left Democrats who think that America is one big get rich scheme for fraudsters? That’s it! That’s simply the question.” FAMILY FIRST: VP Vance shares the joyful update that Second Lady Usha Vance is pregnant with their fourth child:"Every single one of those specific policy wins is about a simple fact — reinvesting in you and ensuring that your family has the same great shot at the American… pic.twitter.com/sLdx8aH8md— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 22, 2026 “What I am promising you is that every day for the next three years, so long as I am the vice president of the United States, so long as Donald Trump is the president of the United States, we will remember that you are what makes America great and will never stop fighting for you,” he declared. The post Vance Believes American Economy Is About to Boom, Champions American Worker in Toledo Speech appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The biggest joke on television is the idea that late-night hosts are “doing news.” Yet from a legal viewpoint, that has been the position of the networks—that when Jimmy Kimmel hosts Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., for a softball interview to announce his bid for governor of California, it’s “bona fide news” rather than Pravda-style propaganda. President Donald Trump’s Federal Communications Commission Chairman—Brendan Carr—is calling out the truth of matter in a new official announcement that puts the networks on notice he will no longer tolerate their abuse of the FCC’s news exemption. Carr, who has earned a reputation as a no-nonsense boss at the FCC, is acting to realign policy with reality: That daytime and late-night entertainment shows are just entertainment. They’re not news, and they don’t deserve to be treated as such. The “public notice” from the FCC’s Media Bureau—a sort of early-warning alert for potential future enforcement actions—tells broadcasters that “late night and daytime talk shows” are not automatically “bona fide news,” and says the “FCC has not been presented with any evidence that the interview portion of any late night or daytime television talk show program on air presently would qualify for the bona fide news exemption.” Translation: Watch out Kimmel, Colbert, and ABC’s “The View” because you no longer get the kid-glove treatment from the FCC when you muck around with left-wing politicians. Carr is 100% correct: it’s not what Congress enacted. Congress specified bona fide news, the notice explains, for a reason—Congress was “concern[ed] that broadcast stations would apply the exemptions too broadly in service of a political agenda.” It’s hard to see anything other than a political agenda at work when you look at the 2025 guest list on “The View”: Sens. Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, Amy Klobuchar, John Fetterman, Cory Booker, Raphael Warnock, and Bernie Sanders, just to name a few (all Democrats). Only one Republican was invited on the show—retiring Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The same could be said of late-night shows: CBS’ Stephen Colbert featured 31 partisan officials in 2025, all Democrats, and Kimmel had on 11—again without a single Republican elected official. That isn’t news, it’s propaganda. And, as the FCC warns in its notice, the airwaves cannot be used for programs “designed for the specific advantage of a candidate.” That presumption is hard to maintain with a straight face in light of these statistics, and doubly so when the hosts are sponsoring fundraisers or making max-out contributions to the candidates they are then interviewing for “the news.” Indeed, ABC doesn’t even seem to consider Kimmel part of ABC News or he’d be prohibited by company policy from showering tens of thousands of dollars on Democratic candidates and PACs. Television and radio networks broadcast are on public airwaves, and use of that public asset comes with certain responsibilities. Perhaps unsurprisingly for a body of politicians, Congress has paid particular attention to equal time rules for candidates to ensure that the airwaves are not twisted into a tool for just one side of a hard-fought political contest. Congress required fair access to the airwaves for campaigns, including a right to equal time when a station features just one candidate during a race. At the same time, Congress recognized that news isn’t always a 50-50 proposition: One candidate might do more public events, say more controversial things, or garner more newsworthy endorsements. So, Congress put in a narrow exemption providing that “bona fide news” shows are exempt from the equal time rule. Over time, that rule has been expanded and twisted until—as we see today—virtually anything on air could count as news, to the point where the exception swallowed the rule. No longer can this be the case. Let’s be real: Late night television and “The View” consistently promote one political party and its candidates over the other. Carr is right to put the industry on notice; network executives would be wise to take heed and avoid politicizing the airwaves. Our team at the Center for American Rights will continue to be vigilant for viewers to ensure the networks follow the law. The post Left-Wing Late-Night Propaganda Isn’t ‘News’ appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Wintermaggedon Arrives; Emergencies Declared In a Dozen States

This part of the planet is riddled with caverns and geological wonders.

After less than a week in office, Democrat Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger – who ran as a moderate – is already considering a flurry of radical, leftist bills presented by her colleagues, now that the party has complete control of the state’s government. Before she took office on January 17, Democrats controlled the state legislature, but there was a Republican governor to temper their ambitions. But now, with Spanberger in office, Democrats are unleashed to impose their will on Virginians, no matter how extreme, and they’re wasting no time doing so. On his “Special Report” Fox News Channel program, Host Bret Baier rifled through a list of the controversial bills that Virginia state Democrats have put forward in the past week, ranging from creating/raising a host of taxes and changing election rules to punishing Second Amendment supporters while going easier on criminals (except drivers). “What a spectacular reminder that we no longer live in an era where there’s an existence of a moderate Democrat,” “Ruthless” podcast host Josh Holmes told Baier in the segment, noting that people who believed that Spanberger would govern as a moderate were duped by her party’s lies: “I think, for the last six months, to those of us who pointed out that the Mamdanis of the world have taken over the Democratic Party, were assured that ‘No, no, no,’ that’s not the face of the new Democratic Party – it’s people like moderate Abigail Spanberger. “I mean, she’s there for a cup of coffee - and all of a sudden we have a Communist Manifesto up in front of us. This is going fast and furious.” “But, it is how Democrats govern - regardless of what they say,” Holmes warned. Baier provided a graphic listing some of the objectives of the Democrats bills: New 4.3% sales tax on Uber Eats, Amazon, etc deliveries. New sales tax on admissions to a wide variety of businesses. Create two new higher tax brackets of 8% and 10% on people making over $600K. A new 10% tax bracket for anyone making over $1M. 3.8% investment tax on top of state income taxes. Raise the hotel tax. New personal property tax on landscaping equipment. Ban gas powered leaf blowers. Guarantee illegal aliens free education. Make it illegal to approach somebody at an abortion clinic. Extend the time absentee ballots can be received after election day to three days Allow people to cast their votes electronically through the internet. Expand ranked-choice voting. Extend the deadline for ballot curing to one week after election day. – Redact the addresses of political candidates from FOIAs. Add Virginia to the National Popular Vote Compact for presidential electors. Make it illegal to hand count ballots. $500 sales tax on firearm suppressors. "Assault weapons" and large capacity magazine ban. 11% sales tax on all firearms and ammunition. Prohibit outdoor shooting of a firearm on land less than five acres. Lower the criminal penalties for robbery. Ban the arrest of illegal aliens in courthouses. Remove mandatory minimum sentences. Allow localities to install speed cameras. Replace Columbus Day with "Indigenous Peoples Day." ? NEW: Fox’s @BretBaier says “elections have consequences” after reading a JAW DROPPING list of ‘moderate’ Spanberger’s extreme Democratic bills put forward in Virginia.@HolmesJosh reacts: “What a spectacular reminder that we no longer live in an era where there’s an… pic.twitter.com/H4STzcxaPK — TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) January 21, 2026  

A Chicago female recently was arrested in connection with an alleged string of beatings that took place after she allegedly failed to appear in court for an earlier battery case, CWB Chicago reported.Records show that 37-year-old Diamond Miller failed to appear in court on a pending misdemeanor battery charge on Dec. 2, the outlet said, adding that court records show that Judge Peter Gonzalez ordered the court clerk to send Miller a postcard reminding her of her court dates rather than issuing a warrant.Miller allegedly struck the woman in the face with a broken beer bottle, the outlet said, adding that the woman began bleeding immediately and suffered cuts to her face and a deep cut to her bottom lip.Later that month, Miller allegedly went on a physical attack spree.Prosecutors said that while she was "in AWOL status" from the pending misdemeanor battery case, Miller allegedly attacked three people within minutes near Pulaski Road and Cermak Road around noon on Dec. 21, CWB Chicago reported.The first attack occurred on a southbound CTA #53 Pulaski bus after a 33-year-old man asked Miller to quiet down so he could hear his wife during a phone call, the outlet said, citing prosecutors during a detention petition. Miller approached the man and struck him in the face "with great force," causing him to experience "pain and dizziness," CWB Chicago said, citing the filing. The bus driver stopped at Pulaski and Cermak and called police and EMS, the outlet noted.RELATED: NYC subway rider pays brutal price after asking fellow passenger to stop talking loudly on cell phone Diamond Miller. Image source: Chicago Police DepartmentProsecutors said Miller exited the bus and walked to a nearby bus shelter, the outlet reported.At 12:17 p.m., a second victim and her friend approached the shelter, where Miller was acting erratically and telling them to give her space, the outlet said, citing prosecutors. The victim and her friend walked away — but Miller allegedly followed them, CWB Chicago said. The victim told police that while she stood on the sidewalk with her back turned, Miller approached from behind and struck her in the face with a white plastic bag that contained a hard object that felt like ice, the outlet said, adding that the victim called 911.Miller returned to the bus shelter minutes later, when a 54-year-old woman — the third victim — and her 74-year-old mother approached while switching bus lines, CWB Chicago said, citing prosecutors. The detention filing said Miller yelled at them and accused them of following her, according to the outlet. The daughter helped her mother — who uses a walker — away from the shelter, but Miller allegedly followed them and continued yelling, CWB Chicago said. The daughter saw a CTA bus idling on the corner and asked the driver if her mother could board and wait until the next bus arrived, but the driver declined, the outlet said, citing the filing. As the woman and her mother walked away, Miller allegedly struck the woman in the face with a broken beer bottle, the outlet said, adding that the woman began bleeding immediately and suffered cuts to her face and a deep cut to her bottom lip.The second victim saw the attack on the third victim and recorded part of it with her phone, the outlet said, citing prosecutors.The first victim — the man from the bus — was taken to St. Anthony Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, CWB Chicago said, adding that prosecutors said the third victim received five stitches.Police said they arrested Miller at 12:50 p.m. the same day and charged her with three felony counts of aggravated battery and one misdemeanor count of aggravated assault of a person older than 60.Judge Robert Kuzas detained Miller, CWB Chicago said.Records indicate Miller was booked into Cook County Jail on Dec. 24, and she has no bond. Her next court date is Feb. 19, jail records say.CWB Chicago said Miller spent three days in jail in connection with four retail theft cases in October. A fifth retail theft case was dropped in November, the outlet said, even though Miller didn’t appear in court. However, records indicate the store’s representative didn’t show up for court, either, the outlet noted. A separate misdemeanor battery case was dropped in August, CWB Chicago added.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Liberals will often claim Christians are not acting in line with their religion when they support strict immigration laws — but that claim could not be further from the truth.“Remember Romans 13, that the government was instituted by God to reward those who do good and to punish those who do evil. Those who think that it is immoral or it is unjust to deport people who are here illegally have no problem locking their own doors, having their own walls, dead-bolting their own fences,” BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey says on “Relatable.”“And the truth is, nations are like families. The government is supposed to put the interest in the well-being and the safety of our people first. Just because you lock your door and you don’t let any stranger come into your home doesn’t mean that you hate your neighbors,” she says.“It doesn’t make you bigoted. It means that you love your children. If you allowed people that you don’t know, that you haven’t vetted into your home to sleep in your kid’s bed and to eat your kid's food, you wouldn’t be a good neighbor, you would be a bad parent,” she continues.And the same could be said for our government.“If they were not sending ICE into these cities to deport illegal aliens who are not only here illegally, that would be enough to deport someone, by the way. Every government has that right and responsibility to maintain that sovereignty that we just talked about but also to deport the worst people in the world. We’re talking about people who raped a child. And you want to impede that justice,” Stuckey says.“That is the God-given and righteous responsibility of any government. And Christians should be for that because we serve a God of peace, not a God of disorder. We understand that disorder and chaos are curses for a nation. And that God is a God of order who placed us in a garden, not a jungle,” she continues.“Tough immigration policy is good,” she says, adding, “It would have been good for Laken Riley ... it would have been good for all of those children who were raped or assaulted or kidnapped or harmed. The people who were killed, the people who have died because an illegal alien was driving under the influence. If we had tough immigration policy, those people would be alive.”Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Liberal Karen's 'Revolutionary' Protest: Loads $400 Target Cart, Then Ditches It to Fight Fascism