While government unions have been up in arms about President Donald Trump’s offramp for federal bureaucrats who may not want to serve in his administration or return to the office in person, a new poll shows that Americans generally support his move. When asked whether they favor the Trump administration’s order that all federal employees return to the office, 62% of respondents say they favor it (35% strongly, 27% somewhat), while only 29% say they oppose it (17% somewhat, 12% strongly). The remaining 10% said they were not sure. The survey, conducted by RMG Research on behalf of the Napolitan Institute, asked 1,000 registered voters about the issues online between Jan. 29 and Jan. 30. The margin of error for the sample is +/- 3.1 percentage points. The Office of Personnel Management memo allows federal employees to accept “deferred resignation.” As long as they resign by Feb. 6, bureaucrats can remain on administrative leave with pay and benefits through Sept. 30, the last day of the 2025 fiscal year. This plan may represent a positive opening bid for bureaucrats who might otherwise seek to oppose Trump’s agenda from within the administrative state. A recent poll found that 64% of Washington, D.C.-based federal employees who voted for Kamala Harris in November say they will refuse a lawful Trump order if they consider it bad policy. RMG Research also asked respondents about Trump’s offer. “The administration has offered a buyout to any federal government employee who chooses not to return to the office. If they resign, they will receive eight months of severance pay and benefits,” the firm noted. “Do you favor or oppose this proposal?” Nearly half of respondents (49%) said they strongly favor (17%) or somewhat favor (32%) the offer, while 38% said they either somewhat (21%) or strongly (17%) oppose it. The White House claims that the deferred resignation offer will save Americans money in the long run. According to Axios, the administration projects the buyouts could ultimately save up to $100 billion per year—because the administration won’t be filling all the jobs of employees who resign. The Office of Personnel Management memo phrases the changes as a “fork in the road.” It lays out four pillars of the new administration’s policy regarding federal government employment: a mandatory return to in-person work in the office; a performance culture focused on “excellence at every level”; a “more streamlined and flexible workforce” as federal agencies are restructured or closed; and “enhanced standards of conduct.” Given these changes, federal bureaucrats should expect that working in the new administration will not resemble the previous administration. “The government-wide email being sent today is to make sure that all federal workers are on board with the new administration’s plan to have federal employees in office and adhering to higher standards,” an official told Axios. “We’re five years past COVID and just 6% of federal employees work full-time in office. That is unacceptable.” The White House projects that 5% to 10% of federal employees will accept the offer. While Trump may seek to incentivize resignation for bureaucrats who oppose his agenda, critics frame the move as an attack on the civil service. The American Federation of Government Employees, a union that represents federal workers, has urged bureaucrats to reject the offer, warning that it represents “the latest effort to dismantle the civil service and replace the skilled, professional workforce with unqualified political appointees and for-profit contractors.” AFGE claims the move may not be legal and warns bureaucrats who resign may not get paid. Yet many Americans who oppose the order say they oppose it due to concerns that Trump is being too nice to government employees. When RMG Research asked respondents why they opposed the offer, about a third of them (34% of the group and 13% of the overall sample) said they opposed it “because it is too generous to federal government employees.” Another third (37% of the group and 14% of the overall sample) said they opposed it “because it is unfair to federal government employees.” About another third gave some other reason (26% of the group and 10% of the overall sample). RMG Research asked respondents what should happen if between 5% and 10% of federal employees resign. About half (46%) said “the federal government should get by with fewer employees,” while about a third (35%) said the bureaucrats “should be replaced.” The remaining 18% said they were not sure. When pollsters told respondents that the administration estimates the buyout plan will reduce federal spending by about $100 billion each year, support for the buyout increased. After hearing that projection, 60% of respondents said they strongly favor (31%) or somewhat favor (29%) the idea, while only 29% said they somewhat oppose (15%) or strongly oppose it (14%). RMG Research also asked respondents whether government employees or private sector workers work harder, and the results weren’t close. Only 8% of respondents said government employees work harder, while 45% said private sector workers work harder. Another 40% said both work equally hard, while 7% said they were not sure. This poll suggests Americans broadly support Trump’s buyout plan, but they have concerns about its cost and about whether it is too generous to bureaucrats. The post DEFT BUYOUT: Americans Back Trump’s Plan to Defang the Deep State appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Never throw away these 63 items. A true homesteader knows how to recycle, save these goods for reuse and save your money in the long run. Here's our updated list of 63 things to never throw away when you're cleaning up!   63 Things To Never Throw Away As A Homesteader [2nd Edition] Upcycling and repurposing can save you a lot of money and make good use of items you would normally throw away. You may not want the clutter but giving things new life can be both beneficial to your home and the environment. Try some homesteading craft projects with the things you may think of as junk. I am a pack rat. Being a crafter, you see craft ideas and DIY projects in almost anything and everything. Crafting for me is more on upcycling projects and repurposing ideas. Use old things and make them new again for organization or room and house decor. There are a lot of things you may think of as junk, but after a little tweaking and some love, it can turn out to be a cool homesteading project. So check out this now updated list of 63 things to never throw away.   1. Wine Corks via A Beautiful Mess Sentimental people would understand this. You had a nice glass of wine in a celebration with family and friends. So, you keep the cork as a remembrance of that occasion. But did you know that there are so many craft projects you can make with them? Click here to get more wine cork craft ideas!   2. Wine or Beer Bottles via Gallery Hip Once you've learned how to cut glass, there are so many craft projects you can make with these bottles. Whether it be for room or home decor or useful stuff in the kitchen. Check out how to make beer bottle glasses here to get you started. Quick tip: Before you get started, make sure you have a quality glass cutter to help prevent any accidental cuts!   3. Broken Crayons via Paint Cut Paste You can make crayon art or melt them into fun shapes for new crayons. You can even make MAC lipstick colors, too!   4. Pipe Cleaners via DIY Projects Let your kids do cool stuff by getting into pipe cleaner crafts. Here are some great ideas!   5. Toilet Paper Rolls via DIY Projects If you've been throwing these out then your kids may be missing out on a lot. Check out some upcycling ideas here.   Poke holes in the lid of an old jug and use it as a watering can. #upcycling https://t.co/HbjJ38tXsw pic.twitter.com/TNXke3voBD — Pioneer Settler (@PioneerSettler) December 17, 2015   6. Pallets via DIY Projects In case you've been living under a rock, wood pallets are awesome for so many woodworking projects. How about trying a pallet wall art?   7. Old Tires via Ways to Go Green Tires get worn out after a couple of years. Have you considered turning it into a coffee table or ottoman?   8. Old Books via DIY Projects In case you've considered throwing old books out, here are some repurposing ideas that will make you think twice. Check them out here.   9. Old Maps via The Idea Room If they're just laying around from your history or geography class from who knows when, it's time to upcycle. Check out some awesome ideas how here.   10. Coffee Filters via DIY Projects Used or unused, there's a craft project waiting to happen. Get some ideas here.   11. Old Ladder via Little Lucy Lu Add a touch of paint and you can repurpose old ladders. Need a new drying rack?   12. Old Door via Averie Lane Make it inspirational wall art or even a DIY headboard.   13. Old Window via DIY Projects If you get creative there a lot of DIY projects you can make out of an old window. Try our DIY coffee table for one.   14. Six Pack Holders via Post Grad Crafting Love drinking beer? Then, I'm sure you have a couple of them around. Did you know you can make them into DIY coasters?   15. Old Belts via Blue I Style If you think there's no more hope for your leather belts, think again.   16. Bottom of Celery Stalk via Garden Swag Are you throwing the bottom of your celery away? Did you know that it's what you need to plant to grow celery? See how here.   17. Dryer Lint via Reddit If you're doing your own laundry, then you must have a collection of this in the garbage already. Add this to your list of things to never throw away. One way to repurpose this is to store and dry them. It's a great fire starter.   18. Old Springs via DIY Inspired Add vintage appeal to your craft projects with old springs from beds and chairs.   19. Bread Tags via Life Tricks Do some organizing hacks with those little tags from bread.   20. Soda Can Tab via Life Tricks Collect these little tabs, and you can make a DIY chain or even use it to organize your closet.   21. Leftover Paint via DIY Projects So you've painted everything that needs painting, and there's still some leftover. Here are some cool DIY projects you can try.   22. Vintage Suitcases via Pinterest Instead of throwing out old suitcases, here are some creative ways to repurpose them. Check it out here.   23. Rubber Bands via Afapack Don't overlook these rubber bands. They are incredibly useful around the household for keeping spatulas and mixing spoons from slipping.   24. Paint Chips via DIY Projects Do you know those paint chips they give you at hardware stores? You can do a lot of colorful craft projects with them. Here's an easy DIY project for a DIY calendar you can create.   25. Bottle Caps via Jenny Kubeck Save your bottle caps! From table covered bottle caps to wind chimes, the possibilities are almost endless.   26. Old Silverware via Electically Vintage Make cool decor and even jewelry with your old silverware. A little metal stamping can also go a long way.   27. Light Bulbs via We Heart It Aren't these DIY plant holders pretty? Personally, I loved this one so much I had to go buy new bulbs for this project since I never kept the old ones (I do now!). Here are the bulbs I got in case you need some too!   28. Prescription Bottles via DIY Inspired Prescription bottles should be one of the things to never throw away. Don't just use them for your prescriptions, it's a cute storage idea for your little items like hair clips and jewelry.   29. Old Soda Crate via Sew Woodsy This is the perfect way to store and organize your stuff. You can even try using it as a DIY dog bowl holder.   30. Old Neckties via Dukes and Duchesses So your father or husband has neckties he doesn't want to wear anymore? What DIY project can you think of? Use this list!   31. Bicycle Wheels via KV Permaculture It's not just old tires that you can upcycle.   32. Old Globes via Premeditated Leftovers Don't take that old globe for granted, you can also make it a bowl.   33. Old Umbrellas via Das Rote Paket I'm sure you've had your share of worn out umbrellas. The handle can be turned into a coat hanger and other cool things.   34. Plastic Spoons via Addicted 2 Decorating So you've had a backyard party and have tons of used plastic spoons. Don't throw them out. You can make awesome DIY art with them.   35. Altoids Tin via Junk & Stuff These tins are great for storing small things. You can even turn it into a tic-tac-toe travel game too.   36. Old Toys via Handverkarna Kids will get bored of toys pretty easily. With some paint and glue, you can turn it into a cool DIY home decor piece.   37. Buttons via Torie Jayne With sewing, you'll be sure to have a spare button every once in a while. Make cool button crafts out of them. This was another favorite of mine, but just like the bulbs, I didn't have any buttons on hand. Luckily, amazon had some great ones to choose from AND they were much less expensive than the craft store.   38. Paper Bags via Popsugar Not only can you reuse them again as paper bags, but you can also repurpose them by weaving. Try to think of other upcycling ideas.   39. Old Jeans via She Knows Not only can you turn them into adorable DIY clothing, you can also make so many craft projects, too.   40. Handkerchief via Dishfunctional Designs Sew old or vintage hankies together to create a curtain or quilt. There are so many other projects to try, too.   41. Cribs via My Repurposed Life When you're no longer planning to have another child and they've outgrown their crib, what do you do? Add it to the list of things to never throw away. Turn it into an upcycling project of course! You can turn it into a bench or shelf!   42. Safety Pins via Popsugar Did you know that you can make DIY jewelry with safety pins?   43. Old Magazines via Rock N Roll Bride Even if the news is old, you can still make new paper crafts with these old magazines.   44. Fancy Glass Bottles Clean and reuse your fancy glass bottles. They make great containers for homemade vinegar, fruit jams, herbs and spices.   45. Baby Food Jars No need to buy salt and pepper shakers. Use your baby's empty food bottles to make one yourself!   46. Mason Jars | Too many mason jars in your house? Use them as drinking glass! The next time your friends come for a visit, serve up some homemade chillers using your recycled mason jars.   47. Big plastic jars or gallons |   48. Cereal boxes and shoe boxes Three words: Your son's robot.   49. Paint Cans Make an improvised Emergency Heater using your empty paint cans. Here's how.   50. Egg crates Raising your own flock of chickens? Store fresh eggs in empty egg crates if you are planning to eat them for breakfast and not hatch them.   51. Newspapers Use your stack of old newspapers to start wood fires.   52. Tin Cans | Use bigger tin cans as flower pots and smaller tin cans as desk organizers.   53. Wooden boxes | Throw some soil inside old wooden boxes and grow your little herbs for yummy dishes. Put it somewhere near your kitchen to make it more convenient.   54. Fruit and vegetable scrap, coffee grounds, old herbs and spices | Instead of throwing them in the garbage, throw them in a compost pit instead! Learn how to make a compost pit.   55. Bones from roasted meat | Finished eating and throwing the bones away? Don’t! Save and freeze chicken, beef, turkey and pork bones, they're great for making homemade meat stock.   56. Bacon fat Eating homegrown eggs are delicious. But frying the eggs in bacon fat tastes even better!   57. Old, worn out clothes | When the holes of your shirt have become big enough to accidentally stick your arms through, it's probably time to consign it to your rag drawer. Cotton shirts make the best all-purpose rags!   58. Aluminum foil | If you're using aluminum foil to store food, save the foil sheets for future household use. Foil is an excellent pot scrubber, silver polisher and knife sharpener.   59. Old toothbrushes | Save on scouring pads by keeping old toothbrushes. They're great for cleaning tiles, cleaning the sink and cleaning your razor.   60. Plastic bags | Use unwanted carrier bags instead of bin bags to line smaller garbage bins inside the house. 61. Eggshells Deter garden pests, feed your chickens, boil them in your coffee — there are several reasons why the eggshell should stay out of the trash bin. Learn more.   62. Cardboard boxes Seasonal clothes are another one of those things to never throw away. Minimize closet clutter by storing seasonal clothes inside old cardboard boxes.   63. Small bits of used soap | Before tossing that last little sliver of soap into the bin, imagine all of them piled up over the month or year. Melt down and combine bits of leftover soaps into a usable sized bar, a lot of money can be saved up by doing making these soap bars of the things to never throw away. Learn how to make a soap bar from leftover soaps here.   Want some upcycling ideas for those things to never throw away? Get 100 here from 100 Cool Ideas!   Do you have these things to never throw away lying around? Let us know what you think below in the comments below! Follow us on Instagram, twitter, pinterest, and facebook! This post was originally published in January 2014 and has been updated for quality and relevancy.

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When it comes to the question of the Historical Jesus, myth and fact often blur together.

Amanpour & Co., a CNN International show that also airs on public television, invited rabidly anti-Israel voice Peter Beinart to discuss his latest screed of a book, Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza. Beinart, former editor for the once-respected liberal journal The New Republic and political analyst for the not-so-respected cable channel MSNBC and editor at the even more ridiculous Jewish Currents, made excuses for the deadly rape-cult Hamas and the atrocities it committed on October 7, 2023. You know you’re making a hard-left argument if fellow journalist Michel Martin, who worries about Democrats as she co-hosts NPR's Morning Edition, is obliged to prod you politely (occasionally) from the center regarding your virulently anti-Israel premises. Martin: This latest book is titled Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza. It's not being Jewish after October 7th. It's not being Jewish after 1947. Why after the destruction of Gaza? Why is that the beginning point? Beinart: Because I think that the Jewish community feels and wrestles with the horror of October 7th that we -- that's for all of us omnipresent. I'm doing it for myself, one of the most traumatic days of my life. I know people are already wrestling with the horror of that. But what led me to write this book was seeing so many good and decent people that I know who day after day after day somehow seem to be able to block out the scenes of what was happening in Gaza….most of the buildings are being destroyed, most of the schools, most of the hospitals, most of the agriculture, the number of children who've been killed just dwarfs what we've seen in Ukraine or almost any conflict of the 21st century, more child amputees than any other place in modern history... This was not one of the “centrist” questions from Martin. Martin: How did this understanding start for you? Because you have a reputation as a person who has long been concerned about Israel's role in the world, the way it manages its governance, of its territories, and the story it tells the world about itself. Beinart’s actual reputation involves the fantasy of bringing Donald Trump to trial for war crimes and of bringing down the state of Israel so that Muslims and Jews will live in peace and harmony in a single state. Yeah, right. Beinart explained that when he reached his thirties, he finally saw the light: “I had no idea what it really meant for people to live under the control of a state where they had no rights, where they couldn't become citizens, where they couldn't vote, where they lived under military law, where they needed military permission to travel….” Beinart is overstating restrictions on Palestinians and ignoring why security measures were necessary (Terrorism? What terrorism?). Martin quoted one of the book’s most offensive lines. Martin: ….I want to talk about what you call the story that Jewish people tell themselves about being history's permanent, virtuous victims. What do you mean by that? Beinart: ….if you want to understand this terrible act of violence by Hamas, you have to be willing to face the fact that Palestinians live without basic rights…. Martin perhaps felt obliged to steer the conversation toward a recognizable moral reality. Martin: Peter, one of the points that you make in your book is that criticizing the way Israel conducts itself on the world stage and the way Israel conducts itself within Gaza and the West Bank is not the same as being anti-Semitic, OK? But you can acknowledge, can you not, that Hamas and Hezbollah are, that Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist groups have been or are anti-Semitic and want to kill Jews. So, how should we think about that? Beinart: The way I think about it is that when people are denied their rights, they resist that oppression. And they do so in a range of ways. Some of which are ethical and humane, some of which are unethical and inhumane….

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With an open presidential primary coming in 2028, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is launching an offensive to win back supporters of the Republican leader whom he dared to challenge in the last election. And he's doing so by latching onto President Donald Trump's most prominent...