The fragile Gaza ceasefire is threatened over dispute on dead hostages’ return. In the meantime, Israel has said it will reopen the Rafah crossing on October 16, 2025 to allow humanitarian aid and construction material into Gaza to rebuild the enclave. FRANCE 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky tells us more from Jerusalem.
from www.france24.com
01a Apocalyptic
The United Nations (UN) is facing backlash after reports confirmed that around 100,000 trees were cut down in the Amazon rainforest to build new roads and infrastructure for its upcoming COP30 “climate change” summit.
The conference is set to take place in the Brazilian city of Belém in November.
It will bring an estimated 70,000 delegates and activists to the region to discuss “saving the planet” and “protecting biodiversity.”
“No Kings” protesters could not name a reason why they were protesting against President Donald Trump during the nationwide demonstrations on Saturday.
Organizers of the protests claimed that 7 million anti-Trump protesters turned out in major U.S. cities to reject so-called “authoritarianism” and “affirm” that the nation does not belong to kings. Several of these protesters could come up with a single reason for why they are protesting Trump.
One woman went silent as she tried to come up with the “main reason” why she is protesting Trump.
“Why are you protesting?” a reporter asked.
Democrats don’t even try to hide their violent ideations any more, even when a camera is rolling.
During a “No Kings” in Seattle, a man was filmed holding a sign which read “Would You Like To Kill Nazis [With] Me?”
Journalist Brandi Kruse interviewed the man and, rather than show even an ounce of shame or humanity, he doubled down.
“Who are you going to kill?” Kruse asked the protestor.
“Nazis,” he replied.
“Passaic County has a long and sordid history of VBM fraud with multiple indictments for ballot stuffing and falsifying VBM ballots in recent elections.”
The New Jersey Republican State Committee has requested that the Department of Justice’s Division of Civil Rights deploy monitors to oversee the processing of mail-in ballots in Passaic County for the upcoming election in November.
The letter, sent to Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon by a law firm representing the committee, stated, the “request that the Division of Civil Rights dispatch monitors to the Passaic County Board of Elections to oversee the receipt and processing of vote-by-mail ballots (‘VBM’) in the November 4, 2025 General Election.
The Supreme Court agreed to take a case Monday over whether a federal law banning illegal drug users from owning guns violates the Second Amendment.
The law at the center of the case was also the basis for one of the three gun charges Hunter Biden, son of former President Joe Biden, was found guilty of by a jury last year. The former president pardoned his son late last year before leaving office.
The case the high court will hear is an appeal from the Justice Department seeking to uphold U.S.C. 922(g)(3), which bans anyone who is “an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance” from owning a firearm, after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit found it violated the Second Amendment’s right for people to bear arms.
“The Second Amendment’s right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental right that is essential to ordered liberty. Unjustifiable restrictions on that right present a grave threat to Americans’ most cherished freedoms,” the DOJ’s petition to the Supreme Court said.
Pro-life advocates are seizing on a deepening congressional standoff over Obamacare subsidies to push for long-sought restrictions that would block federal dollars from funding abortions.
They are warning that Democratic demands could lock in taxpayer support for the abortions indefinitely.
The federal government shutdown, now in its 14th day, has pitted Republicans against Democrats in a battle over extending enhanced premium tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, set to expire at year’s end. More than 90% of the roughly 24 million Americans enrolled in Obamacare plans rely on the subsidies, originally enacted as a COVID relief measure in 2021.
Voter turnout in Wisconsin’s nationally-watched Supreme Court election last April broke records for a Badger State spring election not featuring a presidential primary. In Milwaukee, election administrators reportedly had to print additional ballots on Election Day to keep up with demand. Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Paulina Gutiérrez told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that there was “historic turnout in the spring election” the likes of which the city had never seen.
The record numbers got a big boost from Election Day Registrations (EDRs). A Milwaukee elections official told The Federalist that 5,813 people registered to vote on the day of the April 1 election. That’s a nearly 63 percent increase in same-day voters compared to the 2023 spring election featuring a statewide Supreme Court race, according to the Milwaukee Election Commission.
Hollywood celebrities went wild for the anti-Trump “No Kings” protests this weekend, appearing at various events around the country.
From Ben Stiller to Cynthia Nixon to Pedro Pascal, Spike Lee, Glenn Close, and Jamie Lee Curtis, celebrities took to social media to share their experiences and flash their anti-Trump signs.
Jamie Lee Curtis was among the many celebrities who showed support for the No Kings rallies and later shared several photos to her Instagram, captioning the post: “SIGNS ‘O THE TIMES! Democracy in ACTION!”
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced on Monday that the bureau has launched a full-blown investigation into a mysterious hunting stand discovered with a direct sight line to Air Force One.
“This hunting stand was appropriately dismantled; it’s being flown to our lab — I believe it’s there right now. And all the forensic tools we have, from digital tools to biometric tools, they are all going to be applied to try to find out who put this up here and why,” Bongino told Fox & Friends.
Referring to assassination attempts against President Donald Trump and the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Fox host Lawrence Jones pointed out the growing threat of long-distance shooters.
Over the weekend, Leftists held their “No Kings” protests across the country. The turnout must not have been great, because several people, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, shared a 2017 video of a massive crowd and pretended turn out was high.
In reality, the protests were small and populated by White Leftist boomers. But there were some ugly signs and speakers, including the woman who mocked Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the Leftist in Chicago who called on the crowd to shoot and “take out” ICE agents, and cringe-worthy chants from George Conway.
The Wisconsin Democrats were also busted for sharing a post that included a pic of a protester wishing death on President Trump, a la the French Revolution.
Last week it was “is he dead yet.” Now “mostly peaceful” protests that call for guillotining @realdonaldtrump. @WisDems are out of control. That’s not how you treat your neighbors. https://t.co/X9lncME9x9 pic.twitter.com/VfvyBCyKlC
— Josh Schoemann (@JoshSchoemann) October 19, 2025
A grand jury indicted former FBI Director James Comey in September on charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. Comey pleaded not guilty on October 8.
Comey’s legal troubles are just beginning, however, as federal prosecutors are seeking to remove Comey defense attorney Patrick Fitzgerald from his case, citing a conflict of interest.
BREAKING: Prosecutors signal they may seek to oust Patrick Fitzgerald as James Comey’s defense atty in false-statement/obstruction case. Fitzgerald’s role in 2017 disclosure of Comey memos to media could be insurmountable conflict, feds say. w/@kyledcheney https://t.co/qJ8rmnuQ82
— Josh Gerstein (@joshgerstein) October 20, 2025
If you performed a simple Google search for the names of mainstream journalists and thought leaders, you would expect to get a link to their profile or a link to their website or news outlet. But Google has served up something far more sinister.
The search giant fed its users dossiers from the disgraced left-wing activist group Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which is attempting to brand supporters of President Donald Trump as “extremists,” “white supremacists” and “bigots.” The group has smeared Libs of TikTok creator Chaya Raichik, podcast host and veteran Navy intelligence officer Jack Posobiec and The Daily Wire host Matt Walsh, to name a few, and it seems Google is more than willing to help push that narrative. Google promoted leftist Wikipedia — which repeatedly cited SPLC — and provided direct links to the SPLC website in search results.
Other signs read “No detentions,” and marchers were seen alongside a large banner that read “All Nazis go to hell.”
Protesters participating in the “No Kings” demonstrations in New York City on Saturday were seen holding signs labeling several well-known Democrats and public figures as “Antifa,” including Gavin Newsom, Zohran Mamdani, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Jimmy Kimmel.
Footage posted by Turning Point USA’s Frontlines’ Savanah Hernandez showed protesters carrying posters depicting these notable democrats with the word “ANTIFA” printed above their images. Other signs read “No detentions,” and marchers were seen alongside a large banner that read “All Nazis go to hell.”
A self-described “anti-fascist” protester at a Washington D.C. “No Kings” protest on Saturday admitted to receiving training ahead of the nationwide demonstrations, which Democrats have attempted to frame as an organic display of public opinion.
While reporting from the National Mall, Newsmax correspondent Alana Austin spoke with a woman holding an Antifa-related sign, who described herself as “antifascist,” though she stopped short of claiming any affiliation with the group. The anti-Trump protester also appeared to insinuate that the group — which operates hundreds of named chapters across the globe — does not exist.
Merz rejects calls to relax refusal to deal with German far-right party Newsday
from news.google.com
Special envoy Steve Witkoff and the US president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner have arrived in Israel on Monday to shore up the shaky Israel-Hamas ceasefire, a day after the fragile deal faced its first flareup with Israel threatening to halt aid transfers after it said Hamas militants had killed two of its soldiers.
The Israeli military later said it continued enforcing the ceasefire and an official confirmed that aid deliveries would resume on Monday.
By early afternoon, it was not immediately clear if the flow of aid had restarted.
More than a week has passed since the start of the US-proposed truce aimed at ending two years of devastating Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Pierre Poilievre, leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, was visibly moved to tears while speaking about how the assassination of Charlie Kirk affected him personally.
Speaking as a guest on a recent episode of Northern Perspective (starts at 17-minute mark), Poilievre was asked by the hosts to give his honest thoughts about Kirk’s death. He gave an honest and candid assessment of the state of politics in the United States and Canada today.
“Our thoughts are with the incredible family of Charlie Kirk, and our condolences to them. He was winning a lot of debates, and I think the authoritarian left was frustrated that they couldn’t win the argument, and ultimately, they ended the argument, and that’s often what they do,” he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled a shift in support toward Russia’s Vladimir Putin as he looks for a quick end to the war in Ukraine, likely striking fear into Ukrainian officials.
Trump held a tense meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, with the potential supply of U.S. long-range cruise missiles, Tomahawks, on the agenda.
Zelenskyy walked away from the meeting not only empty-handed, but apparently upbraided by Trump, who said Ukraine should accept Russia’s terms for ending the war — by handing over the entire eastern territory of Donbas, the epicenter of ongoing fighting in Ukraine.
Venezuela between giants: The U.S. dilemma in a changing global order Latest news from Azerbaijan
from news.google.com
The feuding reflected rising tensions in Latin America over U.S. attacks in the Caribbean. President Trump’s administration had already slashed aid to Colombia this year.
from www.nytimes.com
Dozens Detained in Tbilisi as Georgia Enforces New Protest Restrictions messenger.com.ge
from news.google.com
The fragile truce in Gaza faced its first major test on Sunday after Israel alleged Hamas had violated the ceasefire and hit back with air and artillery strikes.
An Israeli security official told The Associated Press, on the condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement, that the transfer of aid into Gaza is halted “until further notice.”
Earlier Sunday, Israel’s military said it hit multiple targets in the Gaza Strip using aircraft and artillery, after it accused Hamas of shooting at Israeli soldiers. Military officials later said two soldiers were killed.
An Israeli military official told CBS News that Hamas had targeted its soldiers with a rocket-propelled grenade and sniper fire.
A special class of immune proteins protect us from pathogens but also drive inflammation and cell death
By Viviane Callier edited by Tanya Lewis
A model showing proteins called death fold domains (green) telling a caspase enzyme (blue) to kill the cell after it has been compromised by pathogens.
Stowers Institute for Medical Research/Tayla Miller
The immune system has a tough job: When a tiny virus invades one of our cells, that cell must detect it and, within minutes, decide what to do. If the cell quickly self-destructs, that will prevent the virus from spreading throughout the body. But such a response to a false alarm will mean the cell will die unnecessarily.
In the early 2010s, nearly every STEM-savvy college-bound kid heard the same advice: Learn to code. Python was the new Latin. Computer science was the ticket to a stable, well-paid, future-proof life.
But in 2025, the glow has dimmed. “Learn to code” now sounds a little like “learn shorthand.” Teenagers still want jobs in tech, but they no longer see a single path to get there. AI seems poised to snatch up coding jobs, and there aren’t a plethora of AP classes in vibe coding. Their teachers are scrambling to keep up.
“There’s a move from taking as much computer science as you can to now trying to get in as many statistics courses” as possible, says Benjamin Rubenstein, an assistant principal at New York’s Manhattan Village Academy. Rubenstein has spent 20 years in New York City classrooms, long enough to watch the “STEM pipeline” morph into a network of branching paths instead of one straight line. For his students, studying stats feels more practical.
“DHS extended fencing at the Broadview Processing Center after rioters and sanctuary politicians obstructed law enforcement, threw tear gas cans, rocks, bottles, and fireworks…”
In the wake of a judge ordering a fence outside a Chicago-area ICE facility be removed, crews were seen on Tuesday night working to take it down. The Broadview ICE facility had until 11:59 pm on Tuesday night to comply with the court and remove it.
Workers were seen dismantling the fence outside the facility on Tuesday night, and per Fox 32, concrete barriers were put up in their place near the facility.
Virginia GOP gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears swiftly condemned those tied to a Young Republicans group chat scandal—and now she’s calling on her opponent, Democrat Abigail Spanberger, to do the same with regard to her own running mate, attorney general nominee Jay Jones.
In a press release issued Wednesday, the Democratic Party of Virginia said Earle-Sears “must call on participants of a leaked Young Republicans chat that used racist language to step down from their roles joining Virginia Young Republican Thomas Turner”—something the lieutenant governor had no problem doing.
“Easy,” she replied, “they absolutely must step down.”
Shortly after being selected, the new PM had to survive a no-confidence vote, which he was able to do. Hope of replacing the current dominant political parties were dimmed when a court ruled that Marine Le Pen, the leading opposition figure, cannot stand for election at all. The decision is sure to further destabilize France as the global oligarchs desperately hold on to power.
France may be teetering on the verge of national snap elections, but the poll-topping sovereigntist leader Marine Le Pen is banned from even standing, a Paris court has confirmed, over a conviction her supporters say is a case of politically targeted lawfare.
The French Council of State, the body of top lawyers which provides legal advice to the government and supreme court, has rejected an appeal by National Rally leader Marine Le Pen to have her “ineligibility” order overturned, reports Le Figaro. The order that was imposed on the politician in March by a judge is considered unusual and controversial because unlike normal criminal punishments, it is being imposed immediately, despite the appeals process to have the conviction itself overturned not having been exhausted.
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Leftists are calling for veterans of “the George Floyd revolt” to join upcoming “No Kings” rallies against President Donald Trump on Saturday.
CrimethInc, an international anarchist group, encouraged supporters on Thursday to engage in “anti-authoritarian” uprisings similar to the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots when the nationwide anti-Trump rallies take place. The post recommended “direct action planning,” a phrase CrimethInc defines as mobilizing people to cause a public disruption even if it risks arrest.
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No Kings, No Masters“A Call for Anti-Authoritarian Blocs at the October 18 “No Kings”
“Demonstrations” https://t.co/6R4m5WqRNR— Not CrimethInc. – Ex Workers (@Thinc_Exworkers) October 12, 2025
The US Senate on Tuesday rejected a bill to reopen the government for the eighth time, meaning that lawmakers are still far from reaching a consensus, and the shutdown will continue into its third week.
In a 49-45 vote, senators approved the GOP’s continuing resolution, which would keep the government afloat until the end of November, well short of the 60 votes required to move forward.
The government shutdown revolves around a debate over health care policy—particularly the Affordable Care Act subsidies that are expiring for millions of Americans who rely on government aid to purchase their own health insurance.