'I am thrilled to announce that Howard Lutnick'

A global conservation effort to reintroduce a tiny snail to the wild is celebrating a momentous milestone, as for the first time in 40 years, conservationists have found adult members of the species born in the wild. This means the precious mollusks called Partula tohiveana have successfully established themselves in French Polynesia. The London Zoo, […] The post These Tiny Snails Are Breeding in the Wild for the First Time in 40 Years in French Polynesia appeared first on Good News Network.

News How to Train Your Dragon How to Train Your Dragon Teaser Gives Us Toothless and Hiccup’s Meet-Cute A first glimpse at Toothless in… live action? Ish? By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on November 19, 2024 Screenshot: Universal Pictures Comment 0 Share New Share Screenshot: Universal Pictures The marketing train is chugging out of the station for the live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon. Today, Universal Pictures released a teaser trailer for the film, which gives us our first real glimpse of Hiccup and Toothless, including their meet-cute where Hiccup can’t bring himself to kill the dragon, and thus indelibly changes how things work in the land of Berk. Here’s the official synopsis, which also handily tells you who will be playing the live-action version of many characters: On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup (Mason Thames; The Black Phone, For All Mankind) stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, reprising his voice role from the animated franchise), Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.With the fierce and ambitious Astrid (Nico Parker; Dumbo, The Last of Us) and the village’s quirky blacksmith Gobber (Nick Frost; Snow White and the Huntsman, Shaun of the Dead) by his side, Hiccup confronts a world torn by fear and misunderstanding. As an ancient threat emerges, endangering both Vikings and dragons, Hiccup’s friendship with Toothless becomes the key to forging a new future. Together, they must navigate the delicate path toward peace, soaring beyond the boundaries of their worlds and redefining what it means to be a hero and a leader. The movie also stars Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2), Gabriel Howell (Bodies), Bronwyn James (Wicked), Harry Trevaldwyn (Smothered), Ruth Codd (The Midnight Club), Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Murray McArthur (Game of Thrones). It’s helmed by Dean DeBlois, who also oversaw the trilogy of animated films from DreamWorks. All the films, of course, are based on the books by Cressida Cowell. The live-action rendition of How to Train Your Dragon premieres in theaters on June 13, 2025. Check out the teaser trailer below.[end-mark] The post <i>How to Train Your Dragon</i> Teaser Gives Us Toothless and Hiccup’s Meet-Cute appeared first on Reactor.

Excerpts dystopian science fiction Read an Excerpt From Gabrielle Korn’s The Shutouts A queer dystopian novel following a cast of characters on the margins of a strange and exclusive new society By Gabrielle Korn | Published on November 19, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from The Shutouts, a new dystopian SF novel by Gabrielle Korn set in the world of Yours for the Taking, out from St. Martin’s Press on December 3rd. We also have an excerpt of the audiobook (narrated by Gail Shalan) for you at the end of this post! The year is 2041, and it’s a dangerous time to be a woman driving across the United States alone. Deadly storms and uncontrollable wildfires are pummeling the country while political tensions are rising. But Kelly’s on the road anyway; she desperately needs to get back to her daughter, who she left seven years ago for a cause that she’s no longer sure she believes in.Almost 40 years later, another mother, Ava, and her daughter Brook are on the run as well, from the climate change relief program known as The Inside Project, where they’ve spent the past 22 years being treated as lab rats. When they encounter a woman from Ava’s past on the side of the highway, the three continue on in a journey that will take them into the depths of what remains of humanity out in the wilderness.At the same time, way up North, weather conditions continue to worsen and a settlement departs in search of greener pastures, leaving behind only two members, drawn together by a circumstance and a mystery they are destined to unravel together. APRIL 1, 2041 My daughter, The first thing I need to tell you—and after that I want to tell you everything—is that I never meant to leave you for this long. In a perfect world, of course, I wouldn’t have left at all. I wouldn’t have needed to. But this world, as I imagine you have learned by now, is far from perfect. I know it’s probably an odd thing, getting a letter in the mail. But I think this is the safest way to communicate. The digital surveillance has gotten so tight that no email would make it to you without the feds combing through it, not at this point. And with all that attention going into the virtual world, little is being spent analyzing what you can hold in your hands. At least, that’s my hope. It’s my bet. So, here I am, writing you a letter. I’ll write and send you one letter from every place I stop, as I cross the country to get back to you. It’s already been a long, hard road, and I’ve barely gotten started. I want to know you so badly. But you’re almost a teenager now, which means you’re nearly a woman, and I know from my own experiences that means you’re wholly your own person, perhaps more like a stranger than my own daughter. I also know that it’s not fair for me to want to know you without also being available for you to know; not just the version of myself that I could invent to make you forgive me, but the truth. A truth that is not always beautiful. As your mother I do have this strange desire to only present you with things of beauty. I hate that you have to know ugliness. But my leaving, I know, was an ugliness. Perhaps the first you ever experienced. Perhaps just the first of many bad things that happened to you. I wish I knew. I hope that soon you’ll tell me. I’ve tried to call you many times over the past six years. When I first left I called every day. Your father never let me speak to you. He didn’t want to hear about why I’d taken off, only why I wasn’t back yet, since I’d left a note saying I’d return in a couple of days. He eventually blocked my number. I’ve tried emailing every combination of your name I can think of that might take me to you. I have a Google alert for you. I’ve checked the local school records, but all I can find is that you’re still enrolled, which doesn’t help me. In some ways I admire that you don’t seem to be on social media (not a surprise; your father was never on it, either). I wonder if it’s intentional. I don’t know what your father told you about me. I imagine he didn’t tell you about the calls. You must hate me. I deserve that. So let me tell you why I’m writing to you now. I hope you believe my story once it’s told. Of course, truth is subjective. I want to tell you my truth as best I can—the things I experienced and the things I came to know. What you do with that info is yours. Some of it might seem like a conspiracy theory, the rantings of a woman desperate to win her daughter back. Well: I am desperate. But I’ve also always been honest, maybe to a fault. I wonder if you remember that about me. Buy the Book The Shutouts Gabrielle Korn Buy Book The Shutouts Gabrielle Korn Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget For the past four nights I’ve been sleeping in my car (well, technically it’s not my car, but more on that later), which I honestly don’t mind, but there were tornado warnings last night on the radio. I pulled off the highway and into a small rural neighborhood as the wind started to pick up. I knocked on the door of the first house I saw. No answer, all the lights off. No car in the driveway. I drove to the next one, a few miles down the road. An elderly couple opened the door, looking terrified at the sight of me or maybe it was just the trees behind me, threatening to snap right off their roots. I asked if I could stay the night and they shook their heads, closed the door in my face. I understand it, I guess. I’m a stranger. I probably looked a little feral, as I sometimes do. I drove as fast as I could back to the first house and peered in the windows until I could be sure there was no one there and then I used a rock to break a window and climb in. I braced myself for an alarm, but none came. It’s not abandoned; there’s food in the fridge and clothes in the closets, evidence of a family everywhere. But when I got here it was late enough that I figured no one would come home at least for the night. I brought blankets and food down to their basement, where I hope I’ll be safe. I’m writing to you using the light of a flashlight I found down here. I’m scared if I turn on lights, the neighbors will call the cops. I hope if they come home while I’m still here, I’ll be able to explain myself before they, I don’t know, shoot me. You’d think people would be sympathetic to a girl on the road in the middle of a storm, but who knows these days. I am truly in the middle of nowhere, or at least, the middle of Idaho, which to me might as well be Mars. The road isn’t paved, can you believe it? I’m not sure how long I’ll have to stay here, or how long before these people come home. I was eager to move as quickly as possible toward you, but it seemed Mother Nature, as always, had her own ideas. Mothers, right? Ha. If I make good time, my letters will reach you before I do, over the next few weeks. Hopefully this will prepare you for my arrival. Hopefully everything will get to you before your father finds it. That’s why the return address says your father’s sister-in-law’s name. I doubt he’d open mail from your aunt to you. When you were little, you were close with her. I hope you still are, and that it’s believable that she’d be writing to you. When you read the last of my letters, you’ll have a choice to make. But before I present you with that choice, you need to know everything that’s going into it. Everything that’s happened since I left. I’ll start from the beginning. Some of it might feel like too much information. I am not sure how much a girl wants to know about her mom. If it were me, I’d want to be spared the intimate details, but you’re not me. I hope you are curious, that you want details, that you might even be hungry for the truth about me. If I’m wrong, I’m sorry in advance. Skip over things if you want. I just can’t tell you the story of my leaving without the story of my heart, which I have followed over the years into various situations, some wonderful and some terrifying and dangerous. I like to imagine that you’re like me in this way. You were always so brave. Anyway. I’ve struggled to find the true beginning of this story, but I think it starts when I was a few years older than you: seventeen. And I was completely on my own. MacmillanAudio · The Shutouts by Gabrielle Korn, audiobook excerpt Excerpted from The Shutouts, copyright © 2024 by Gabrielle Korn. The post Read an Excerpt From Gabrielle Korn’s <i>The Shutouts</i> appeared first on Reactor.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. X has initiated a High Court challenge against Ireland’s media authority, Coimisiún na Meán, over a newly introduced censorship code that imposes stringent regulations on video-sharing platforms. The contentious safety code, finalized in October, emerged following the enactment of Ireland’s Online Safety and Media Regulation Act. Rooted in the European Commission’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), the code obliges platforms under Irish jurisdiction to implement measures shielding users—particularly children—from harmful content. Platforms found non-compliant could face severe penalties, including fines of up to €20 million or 10% of annual revenue, whichever is greater. For platforms like X,  Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and more, the code signals a dramatic shift away from self-regulation and gives Ireland’s regulators more control over online speech. According to Coimisiún na Meán, the rules are designed to curtail the dissemination of “harmful” material. Criminal content, such as child exploitation or terrorism-related media, also falls within the prohibited categories but was already covered by previous laws. Despite the regulator’s claims of prioritizing public safety, critics argue that the measures overstep boundaries. Social media lobby groups, including representatives of X, have voiced concerns that the rules could infringe upon free expression. Some describe the provisions as overly detailed and excessively burdensome, particularly for global platforms operating across diverse legal frameworks. Elon Musk’s X, which advocates a freer approach to online discourse, lodged its case just days before the 28-day window to contest the code expired. X’s objections center on the potential conflict between the Irish regulations and broader European legal standards, such as the Digital Services Act. While X has previously expressed support for co-regulatory frameworks under the AVMSD, it warned in August that Ireland’s implementation “must not impose obligations which go beyond” what European law requires. In its submission, the company emphasized the need for balanced enforcement mechanisms that align with international digital governance principles. The regulatory body has indicated that it will supervise enforcement through systems-based oversight rather than micromanaging individual cases. “The code applies to platforms that are household names and part of our daily lives,” Coimisiún na Meán stated. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Ireland’s New Online Censorship Rules Face Showdown With X in Court appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Insane Battle Brewing Over Bathrooms in Congress

Surprisingly, the major broadcast networks had avoided the false, manufactured conspiracy theory about Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth’s Christian tattoos being symbols of white supremacy, but that ended Monday with ABC’s Good Morning America diving in without apology. It came a day after the same show whined that Hegseth’s arrival at the Pentagon (if confirmed by the Senate) would be “cultural shock and awe” in ridding the military of its woke elements. That kvetching came at the same time NBC’s Sunday Today raised concern about his goal (along with President-Elect Trump) of bringing accountability to military generals involved in the deadly 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal. ABC’s former North Korean news lady for the Kamala Harris campaign — chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce — was put on the case: ABC’s Mary Bruce on Monday’s ‘Good Morning America’: @PeteHegseth “is also under fire for some of his tattoos depicting religious symbols and phrases that fellow service members flagged to his superiors over confirms they are associated with white supremacists. Hegseth saying… pic.twitter.com/Fisl3w0cCZ — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) November 18, 2024 Notice that last line: “Hegseth’s post notably not disavowing the supremacists who have adopted the symbolism, though he has in the past.” Oh, that’s her evidence? Claiming without evidence they’ve been coopted by white supremacists, so Hegseth is guilty by extension? Just under 24 hours earlier, weekend co-host Gio Benitez asked This Week co-host Martha Raddatz about Hegseth: “He’s a Fox News host, nominated by Trump to lead the Department of Defense. You’ve covered the Pentagon for many years, through many wars. How could Hegseth change the D.O.D.?” A very concerned Raddatz complained Hegseth would upset the apple cart with her career pals inside The Swamp. She said Hegseth “could really change it dramatically” since he’s said “throughout his book and in public that the senior leadership at the Pentagon, generals should be fired because they are ‘woke.’” She continued to huff: He believes the Pentagon has gone too far with diversity and inclusion training and he has made quite clear he does not think women should be in combat. Women, of course, have been approved for ground combat positions for a decade. They are in those positions now. They are doing the work. They are excelling, but whether he would try to make those changes or not, it would be cultural shock and awe there. Imagine right now, Gio, being one of those women. Over on NBC, correspondent Allie Raffa told host Willie Geist about plans for Hegseth to hold both “current and former military personnel involved in the pullout” responsible for the chaos: NBC’s ‘Sunday Today’ was all bent out of shape that President-Elect Trump and @PeteHegseth want to — *checks notes* — bring those responsible for the deadly Afghanistan withdrawal to justice.... Willie Geist: “So, Allie, Hegseth has also been a vocal critic of the deadly U.S.… pic.twitter.com/A4aPc3gasa — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) November 18, 2024 Like a good liberal, Raffa made sure to defend the Biden administration by bothsides-ing it: “An 2022 independent review blamed both the Trump and Biden administrations for the botched withdrawal.”

CNN Newsroom host Jim Acosta reacted to the news that President-elect Donald Trump intends to nominate Fox Business host and former congressman Sean Duffy for Secretary of Transportation by scoffing that “this is becoming, kind of, a Fox cabinet.” Speaking with reporter Alayna Treene, Acosta declared, “Yeah, he's really testing these Republican senators to see whether or not they're going to disobey, and Trump also unveiling more cabinet picks, including Transportation Secretary, yet another Fox host. This is becoming, kind of, a Fox cabinet.”     Does that mean that Joe Biden has a CNN administration? After all, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and former press secretary turned MSNBC host Jen Psaki used to be CNN talking heads. As for Treene, she agreed, “It is. It's a little bit of a pattern. I mean, obviously, Pete Hegseth, his pick for the Department of Defense, was a Fox News host as well. I mean, Sean Duffy, a Republican, a former Republican congressman from Wisconsin. I think it is most notable that he has been on Fox News a lot. He hosted a show on Fox Business.” She added, “The thing I hear behind the scenes is that Donald Trump, and it kind of reminds me of what he did in the lead up to his vice presidential pick, is he was watching these people that he is choosing for these top roles on television. He very much wants people who are going to be defending him on TV, but–” Acosta interrupted to clarify, “That's not hyperbole. He's literally doing it.” Treene then continued, “He is literally watching this behind the scenes and helping make these decisions. And he also wants people who will be attack dogs for him on television as well and people who will be able to talk about what they're doing. That's why someone like Sean Duffy was appealing, I'm told, for that role.” In other words, Trump wants his version of current DOT chief Pete Buttigieg, who is always sharing his opinions on TV or social media about everything, even things that have nothing to do with transportation. Except, Duffy might actually go on TV to focus on transportation instead of liberal culture war issues. Here is a transcript for the November 19 show: CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta 11/19/2024 10:11 AM ET JIM ACOSTA: Yeah, he's really testing these Republican senators— ALAYNA TREENE: Yes. ACOSTA: — to see whether or not they're going to disobey, and Trump also unveiling more cabinet picks, including Transportation Secretary, yet another Fox host. This is becoming, kind of, a Fox cabinet. TREENE: It is. It's a little bit of a pattern. I mean, obviously, Pete Hegseth, his pick for the Department of Defense, was a Fox News host as well. I mean, Sean Duffy, a Republican, a former Republican congressman from Wisconsin. I think it is most notable that he has been on Fox News a lot. He hosted a show on Fox Business. The thing I hear behind the scenes is that Donald Trump, and it kind of reminds me of what he did in the lead up to his vice presidential pick, is he was watching these people that he is choosing for these top roles on television. He very much wants people who are going to be defending him on TV, but – ACOSTA: That's not hyperbole. He's literally doing it. TREENE: He is literally watching this behind the scenes and helping make these decisions. And he also wants people who will be attack dogs for him on television as well and people who will be able to talk about what they're doing. That's why someone like Sean Duffy was appealing, I'm told, for that role.

Congress grilled Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell on Tuesday afternoon regarding allegations of political discrimination and the agency's request for $40 billion in disaster relief funds.During a House Transportation and Infrastructure hearing, Criswell was questioned about a now-terminated hurricane relief supervisor, Marn'i Washington, who admitted to instructing workers to avoid homes with signs supporting President-elect Donald Trump during the relief efforts following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.'This is pretty hard to defend.'FEMA has repeatedly insisted that the situation was isolated, but Washington has argued that she is being used as a "scapegoat," claiming that the instruction to skip certain homes was not an isolated incident.During Tuesday's hearing, Criswell told Congress, "I do not believe that this employee's actions are indicative of any widespread cultural problems at FEMA. FEMA, however, has taken appropriate action to ensure that this matter is fully investigated, and I am committed to ensuring that nothing like this ever happens again."According to Criswell, the agency's "ongoing investigation," which includes questioning personnel in the chain of command above Washington, has yielded "no information at this point that there was anything beyond her [Washington's] direction to her employees to skip and bypass a home."Criswell agreed to request an outside investigation from FEMA's Office of Inspector General.FEMA is requesting that Congress provide $40 billion for disaster relief to last through the upcoming year. Amid the impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the agency has highlighted its depleted resources for emergency responses.Several Republican Congress members pressed Criswell about the agency's request for additional funding while its Shelter and Services Program continues to provide extensive free services to illegal aliens. In response, the FEMA administrator redirected the criticism back at Congress, pointing out that the legislative body had created the program and mandated the agency oversee it. Rep. Marcus Molinaro (R-N.Y.) challenged Criswell's defense, calling it the "easiest and most disingenuous argument." "You administer the one department in domestic policy that has to triage and to set priorities — your department," Molinaro stated. "You are empowered and your department is empowered to decide what of the programs you're running today should take precedence or priority over the others. Yes, sure. We can pass a law that limits the Shelter and Services funding, that stops dollars getting to illegal immigrants, but you have to make that decision every day."Rep. Mike Ezell (R-Miss.) questioned Criswell about 20 Hurricane Katrina infrastructure projects funded and never completed by FEMA."How, 20 years later, are there still unresolved projects from Katrina?" Ezell asked. "This is pretty hard to defend."Ezell called FEMA's failure to complete the projects "simply outrageous."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina was apparently threatened by a man who identifies as transgender after the congresswoman proposed legislation that would require individuals to use the restroom that corresponds to their biological sex. In a social media post, the transgender individual, who goes by Venus, apparently threatened to kill Mace as well as other activists who are outspoken against transgenderism. "This video goes out to Congresswoman Nancy Mace," Venus said in the video posted to Instagram. "Congresswoman Nancy Mace, I do hope that one day I do find you in that woman's bathroom, and I grab your ratty looking f***ing hair and drag your face down to the floor while I repeatedly bash it in until the blood's everywhere and you're dead." 'I think that we should just all come together and murder everyone.'Mace exposed Venus' rant and responded to his apparent threats in a Tuesday post on X. "This is the exact type of man I don’t want in the women’s restroom with me," Mace said in the post. These alleged threats came after Mace introduced a bill that would bar men who claim to be women from using the women's restroom. Mace proposed the legislation after Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware, a biological male, was elected to the House as the first openly transgender lawmaker. Venus' alleged threats, however, did not stop with Mace. "Clarence Thomas, I have not forgotten about you," he continued, according to the video. "Be on the lookout.""And why is J.K. Rowling still alive?" he said in the post, video showed. "We should be focusing our efforts and our resources, not on assassinating Trump, but instead on assassinating J.K. Rowling. That f***ing wench needs to die. She needs to burn on the stake and die."Venus then seemingly advocated for murder on a broad scale, calling for transgender people to "come together and murder everyone," claiming it would "solve all [their] problems." "I condone murder, I condone it," he continued on the video. "I think that we need to hold our politicians accountable by murdering them, and I think we need to hold J.K. Rowling accountable by murdering her too. I'm like, so very serious about this. I'm so passionately serious about this.""I think that we should just all come together and murder everyone," he said, according to the video. "I think, you know, like, think would be better. You know? Like, we would just be so much happier in life if us as trans people just came together and murdered a bunch of people. Like, I think that really would, like, solve all of our problems." Following Mace's legislation, McBride pointed the finger at "right-wing extremists," who he claims are just "manufacturing culture wars." "Every day Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully, I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness," McBride said in a Monday post on X. "This is a blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing," McBride continued. "We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars. Delawareans sent me here to make the American dream more affordable and accessible and that’s what I’m focused on."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!