In a new discovery outlined in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, astronomers have identified a mysterious celestial body known as Companion Candidate 1 (CC1), orbiting within the young WISPIT 2 system. Initially observed during a study focused on the protoplanet WISPIT 2b, this intriguing object may represent either a dense dust clump reflecting long-wavelength light or possibly a low-mass star enveloped in a dusty disk. The detection, made using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, has sparked fresh scientific curiosity about how planetary systems form and evolve. CC1 may be the missing piece that reveals more about the complex processes occurring within transitional disks around young stars.
x01a Research Archives
Our Milky Way is constantly in motion: it spins, it tilts, and, as new observations reveal, it ripples. Data collected by the European Space Agency’s Gaia space telescope show that our galaxy is not only rotating and wobbling but also sending out a vast wave that travels outward from its center.
For about a century, astronomers have known that the Milky Way’s stars orbit its core, and Gaia has precisely tracked their speeds and trajectories. Since the 1950s, scientists have also recognized that the galactic disc is not flat but warped. Then in 2020, Gaia uncovered that this warped disc slowly oscillates over time, similar to the motion of a spinning top.
Astronomers have found that Earth has acquired a new cosmic partner, a tiny asteroid named 2025 PN7, which will orbit with our planet for approximately 50 years. Though described by some as a “mini-moon,” scientists clarify that it is not actually a satellite like our Moon. Rather, it’s a quasi-moon, an uncommon variety of asteroid that moves in almost the same orbit and velocity as Earth around the Sun, giving the illusion that it is orbiting our planet. Measured to be roughly 19 metres in diameter, 2025 PN7 was discovered in August 2025 and is set to continue being close to Earth’s orbit until some time after 2083 before slowly moving away into outer space.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday directed drills of the country’s strategic nuclear forces that featured practice missile launches, an exercise that came as his planned summit on Ukraine with U.S. President Donald Trump was put on hold.
CHICAGO — President Donald Trump’s attempts to deploy the military in Democratic-led cities — over the objections of mayors and governors — has brought a head-spinning array of court challenges and overlapping rulings.
As the U.S. Supreme Court ponders whether to clear the way for the National Guard in Chicago, a federal appeals court is hearing arguments in California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s challenge to the deployment of troops in Los Angeles. Guard troops could also soon be on the ground in Portland, pending legal developments there.
Democrats are getting aggressive with their moves to draw a distinction between the rich elites who have shut down the government, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay, while they are still collecting paychecks.
Other members of Congress have introduced legislation to prevent members of the House and Senate from getting paid during the shutdown, but Rep. John Larson not only wants to not pay members of Congress, he also wants to not pay Donald Trump, JD Vance, and White House officials.
Besides making sure that Congress doesn’t paid during the shutdown, Larson’s bill also states that Trump and Vance aren’t getting paid:
(a) HOLDING SALARIES IN ESCROW.—If on any day during a pay period occurring during the term of office of the President or Vice President a Government shutdown is in effect, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall— (1) deposit in an escrow account and exclude from the payments otherwise required to be made with respect to that pay period for the compensation of the President and the Vice President an amount equal to the product of— (A) the daily rate of pay of the President or Vice President (as the case may be) under applicable law;
Key Takeaways
- Felicia Branch, a University of Arkansas-Little Rock professor, was fired for celebrating the assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk in a Facebook post, which included inflammatory remarks and imagery.
- Chancellor Christina Drale upheld the decision to terminate Branch after significant backlash from state officials and the public, despite an appeals council recommending only a warning.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced on Fox News that, since he sees property taxes as people unjustly being forced to rent their homes from the government, an upcoming ballot measure in Florida will look to end property taxes in his state.
DeSantis cannot unilaterally abolish property taxes in the state, which he says would require a state constitutional alteration. Thus, the measure would require 60% of the vote next year in Florida to pass. But if DeSantis is right in his prognostications, and homeowners or future homeowners are sane, the measure should certainly become law there within the next couple of years. This is a major opportunity in the 2026 midterms for Florida citizens.
DeSantis explained the process on Fox, “We got to put it on the ballot, and the voters have to approve it. It’s a constitutional issue in Florida; it’s not something the state derives revenue for, it’s a local issue.”
🚨 BREAKING: Governor Ron DeSantis just made clear he is FULL STEAM AHEAD on abolishing property taxes for Florida homeowners
“Your personal home – you shouldn’t RENT it from the government; you should OWN it!”
“That’s coming to a ballot near you in November of 2026! We need… pic.twitter.com/SzkD4T8yQ2
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 22, 2025
The time for accountability is already here for James Comey and John Bolton.
And now, former CIA Director John Brennan may be the next one to face Judgement Day…
Brennan has just been criminally referred to the Department of Justice.
Here are the details:
🚨 BREAKING: In another big FAFO moment, disgraced Obama CIA Director John Brennan referred to the DOJ for PROSECUTION related to Trump-Russia.
For making false statements to Congress in 2023.
CHARGE HIM! Accountability is HERE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5eqgyMF4I7
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 21, 2025
BREAKING: Former CIA Director John Brennan has officially been referred to the DOJ for criminal prosecution for lying to Congress:
“We write to refer significant evidence that former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Brennan knowingly made false statements… pic.twitter.com/KgTUeuaGEs
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 21, 2025
BREAKING: Former CIA Director John Brennan has officially been referred to the DOJ for criminal prosecution for lying to Congress:
“We write to refer significant evidence that former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Brennan knowingly made false statements during his transcribed interview before the Committee on the Judiciary on May 11, 2023.’ While testifying, Brennan made numerous willfully and intentionally false statements of material fact contradicted by the record established by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) and the CIA.”
The Trump administration is looking to slash an office at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) whose critics say has been a major driver of gender ideology and abortion policies in the federal government.
The Office of Population Affairs (OPA) saw roughly 30 employees issued reduction-in-force (RIF) notices Oct. 10, effectively sidelining most of the agency’s staff, individuals familiar with the matter told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The cuts come as White House officials repeatedly warned that staffing reductions could occur if Democrats continue to refuse to reopen the government.
President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is using several tools to pressure illegal aliens to self-deport from the United States, including via their pocketbooks.
DHS officials revealed exclusively to Breitbart News that the agency has issued more than 31,600 fine notices to illegal aliens, totaling more than $9.6 billion.
“Our message is clear: If you’re in the country illegally, leave now or face the consequences,” DHS’s Tricia McLaughlin told Breitbart News.
Republican Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana is leading the charge alongside Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas to protect Nigerian Christians who are being persecuted and slain by jihadist groups.
Stutzman introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act on Tuesday in the House, an identical companion bill to Cruz’s legislation, Blaze News learned. This legislation is in response to the “rapidly deteriorating” conditions for Christians in Nigeria, who are being abducted, targeted, and murdered by the tens of thousands.
‘We must use the targeted tools we have at our disposal.’
Vice-President JD Vance arrived in Israel as the ceasefire in Gaza entered its eleventh day. He is expected to shore up President Donald Trump’s peace agreement amid sabotage attempts by Hamas.
“Vance was meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials and is expected to stay in the region until Thursday,” the Associated Press reported. “White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, arrived Monday and Vance met with them upon landing.”
NOW: Vice President @JDVance and Second Lady Usha Vance arrive at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel 🇺🇸🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/w7EF9QhLDW
— William Martin (@VPCommsDir) October 21, 2025
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals cleared the way Monday for President Donald Trump to mobilize the National Guard to protect federal buildings in Portland.
A three-judge panel ruled 2-1 to reverse a federal district court ruling that prevented Trump from deploying National Guard troops in the state. The ruling allows the deployment to continue while the case moves forward in the courts.
The majority of the panel agreed with the Trump administration that the threat from protesters to federal facilities could not be addressed by existing law enforcement.
As national discussion surrounding political violence has intensified, Democrats are continuing to endorse a candidate who admitted to sending text messages calling for the death of a Republican opponent and his family. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) is the latest Democrat official to double down on supporting Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Virginia Jay Jones, despite the candidate’s violent rhetoric.
Kaine has repeatedly refused to withdraw his endorsement for Jones’s campaign, insisting, “I’m still supporting Jay Jones.” In an interview Sunday, the senator was asked if his position was hypocritical and whether or not he would insist that a hypothetical Republican who made similar violent comments should retire his campaign.
The president of the Austrian Parliament has banned the use of so-called “gender-inclusive” language in official communications of the legislative body.
Walter Rosenkranz, president of the Nationalrat (National Council, Austria’s Lower House of Parliament), recently announced that Parliament will go back to using the generic masculine form of words, or the female and male form as a couple, for instance, when addressing readers as “Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren” (Dear ladies and gentlemen).
Previously, the parliament had used the ideological variant of putting internal capital letters, colons, asterisks, or slashes within nouns that could refer to people of different genders. Signs like the asterisk were meant to include not only females but also people who identify as “transgender.”
Duke math professor Jonathan Mattingly conducted an analysis to discover if a new Trump-supported congressional map in North Carolina would result in the Republican Party locking in additional seats. The answer, he uncovered, is a resounding yes.
Three days before publishing his results on Sunday, the GOP revealed another mid-decade congressional map proposal that would bolster the party’s grip in Congress. It does so by expanding the boundaries of the state’s 1st Congressional District, which is currently held by Democrat Don Davis, pulling in some of the 3rd Congressional District, which is represented by Republican Greg Murphy.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said Tuesday he would back Republicans if they invoked the “nuclear option” to eliminate the Senate filibuster and push through legislation reopening the government.
“There are no winners here. It’s not getting better every day here. People are going to start to get really hungry, and I’ve been fully, fully committed to fund [the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program], open up the government,” he said, noting the program is running out of money.
“This is just bad political theater. Open it up,” Fetterman added, speaking to reporters.
If there’s one thing the City of Cincinnati has done as of late, it’s putting Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge on administrative leave. You don’t have to be a legal expert to understand that she has done nothing for the city’s crime problem — and if I didn’t know any better, I might even say things have gotten worse under her watch. However, I do know better, so that is neither here nor there.
“The City continues to face serious public safety challenges that underscore the need for stability at the command level. Therefore, I’ve named Assistant Chief Adam Hennie as Interim Police Chief,” City Manager Sheryl Long said in a statement. “Our focus remains on maintaining stability within the department and ensuring the highest standards of service to our residents.
When she became chief, Theetge spoke at length about addressing ongoing gun violence, as well as officer wellness and recruiting. Those three items continued to be top issues in Cincinnati during her tenure.
While police data showed that shootings are down within city limits, data from the summer also showed that crime reports in downtown Cincinnati were on the rise. That includes home burglaries, hundreds of vehicle break-ins and a violent August fight that garnered national attention.
A small North Carolina town saw two churches set on fire Friday night.
The fires took place near Casar, a town of about 300 people located northwest of Charlotte.
According to a Facebook post from the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, the fires were set between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Tabernacle Baptist Church and Calvary’s Cross Baptist Church were both targeted, the post said.
“Fortunately, both fires were spotted by citizens who quickly put the fire out before significant damage occurred. These events are still under investigation,” the post said.
… In the lead-up to the “No Kings” protests on Oct. 18, the Democrats faced fierce perceptual headwinds — and from multiple directions, too. First, their own base despised ‘em for committing the one unforgivable sin: They lost the popular vote to “literally Hitler.”
That’s problematic, because modern elections are increasingly won or lost on turnout. It’s less about wooing the undecideds and more about ginning up the diehards.
But in the DNC’s eyes, there was no need to panic because American elections are binary decisions: It doesn’t matter how much you hate your own party — as long as you hate the other party more! And although President Trump has done a great deal to demotivate the left, he hasn’t converted them to his side. (Trump’s approval rating amongst liberals still hovers in the single digits.)
Euthanasia for children is the devil’s latest sinister attack on innocent life– www.lifesitenews.com
The fight against euthanasia reached a new level yesterday, as Fox News published an article that blows the lid off the sinister nature of the industry.
Reporter Asra Nomani has just published an investigative report detailing the predatory-like behavior of what she calls “Assisted Suicide Inc.”
“A Fox Digital investigation reveals … opponents of euthanasia face a multimillion-dollar global lobby that could be called Assisted Suicide Inc., a sprawling network changing laws worldwide, developing euthanasia services for funeral parlors, selling ‘suicide pods,’ promoting ‘suicide tourism’ and even training ‘doulas for death,’” she writes.
Reflecting on her recent sentencing of over a year’s house arrest for her role in the 2022 Freedom Convoy, Tamara Lich laid bare the fact that when all is said in done seven years of her life will have been spent in a government-imposed “lockdown” in one form or another.
Last Friday on X, Lich wrote, “I did the math this morning.”
“Between the ‘pandemic,’ our bail conditions, and now our sentence, @ChrisBarber1975 and I will have been in lockdown, in one form or another, for a total of seven years by the time we complete our sentences,” she noted.
Last week as well, Lich launched what she called her “house arrest” podcast, with her fellow co-leader of the Freedom Convoy Chris Barber. The pair spent over an hour talking about their recent sentence, as well as the state of affairs in Canada.
UPDATE, 4:49 p.m. Eastern: President Donald Trump issued a statement.
BREAKING: President Trump just responded to the news that John Bolton has been indicted by a gran jury!
“I didn’t know that. You’re telling me for the first time! I think he’s a bad person. Too bad.” pic.twitter.com/QlGR2EDQoS
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 16, 2025
President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a critical minerals agreement to counter China, which is holding tight to its own rare earth metals.
According to Bloomberg, Australia “holds the world’s fourth-largest deposits of rare earths.”
With China trying to control the rare earths and critical minerals market, Australia hopes to become “a viable alternative” for countries.
Australia has these key elements:
- Neodymium and praseodymium: needed for high-strength magnets for electric vehicles and wind turbines
- Dysprosium and terbium: needed for magnets used in high temperatures
- Lanthanum and cerium: used in catalytic converters and batteries
- Europium and gadolinium: needed for phosphors used in screens and medical imaging
- Samarium: used in high-temperature permanent magnets and lasers
In Ian Fleming’s 1959 James Bond novel Goldfinger, he wrote, “Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it’s enemy action.”
When it comes to NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, we’ve now got him linked to two anti-gay figures. Is that, as Fleming said, a coincidence? Or part of a larger pattern?
Two weeks ago, we learned that Mamdani is acquainted with Rebecca Kadaga, the Ugandan politician who supported legislation that would imprison gays in Uganda for life. Mamdani denied knowing Kadaga, but the New York Post revealed she’s got ties to his family, who own a massive compound in the African nation.
Now we’re learning Mamdani’s imam pal, Siraj Wahhaj, is also anti-gay.
Hamas has rejected disarmament and security control surrender under President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, following the October 9, 2025, ceasefire in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, which ended two years of conflict and released the last Israeli hostages. Saudi Arabia, with UAE and Bahrain, warned the U.S. administration of withholding $50 billion in reconstruction aid if Hamas retains arms or power, criticizing Qatar and Turkey’s mediation for emboldening the group. Gulf states propose a neutral Western-led mission for demilitarization to ensure lasting stability.
Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for New York City mayor just hit another bump in the road, and this one might actually matter to Democratic voters. The socialist darling who’s been cruising toward what looks like a likely victory next month now finds himself tied to a second figure with a history of virulent anti-gay rhetoric.
While his terror-tied associations might not ruffle too many feathers among the city’s Democratic base, homophobia could be a different story entirely.
Earlier this month, the New York Post revealed that Mamdani “flashed a beaming smile in a cringeworthy photo with a top Ugandan official who pushed harsh anti-LGBT policies — that included life imprisonment for gay people.”
Uruguay, once a conservative pillar in Latin America, has crossed a tragic threshold. Its Senate has voted to legalize euthanasia, turning the nation’s medical profession into an instrument of state-sanctioned death. After eight years of debate and multiple legislative battles, the upper house approved the so-called “Dignified Death.” The law allows doctors to end the lives of patients who claim to suffer “unbearable pain” from incurable conditions.
Uruguay has abandoned life.
On October 15, 2025, Uruguay’s Senate voted 20 to 11 to legalize euthanasia. This followed a 64 to 29 vote by the Chamber of Representatives on August 13, 2025. With those two votes, Uruguay’s legislature handed doctors the legal authority to kill. The left-wing government of President Yamandú Orsi celebrates this as a milestone. They cheer it as progress. What they have approved is death, on demand, wrapped in official procedure and sold as compassion.
Supporters call it compassion, but it’s not. It’s surrender. They claim it protects choice, but it erases conscience. By declaring death a form of medical care, Uruguay has chosen elimination over treatment, and despair over dignity. This isn’t progress. It’s a complete moral collapse.
A federal judge has ruled that a Florida school board did not violate the First Amendment when it removed a children’s book featuring two male penguins raising a chick in a victory for officials who argue they have the authority to keep LGBTQ-themed material out of school libraries.
Chief U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor ruled on September 30 that the Escambia County School Board acted within its rights when it removed the book And Tango Makes Three from its library shelves. The 2005 book tells the true story of two male penguins at New York’s Central Park Zoo who hatch and raise a chick together and has long been at the center of debates over LGBTQ representation in schools.