Mitch McConnell's Hospital Stay Throws New Wrench In Republicans' Plans

'Killed in the crash'

'Love Donald Trump'

It wasn’t quite a reunion; since the women knew each other well. Their relationship, so far as they understood it, was that important one between an OB/GYN and their patient carrying a child. Little did Megan Lewis and Suzanne Koziol know it at the time, but their relationship was actually a little bit deeper than […] The post Woman Discovers Childhood Pen Pal Became Doctor Who Delivered Her 2 Kids: ‘My Mouth Dropped’ appeared first on Good News Network.

News Eragon Disney+’s Eragon Series Has Finally Found Its Showrunners Can there ever be too many dragons on TV? By Molly Templeton | Published on February 5, 2026 Comment 0 Share New Share Almost four years ago, Disney+ announced that a new live-action adaptation of Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle was in development. Not just Eragon, the first book—previously adapted into a middling movie—but the whole four-book series, with Paolini on board as co-writer. And then we didn’t hear a peep more. But the show is still in the works at Disney, as it turns out, and now it’s got showrunners! Variety has the news that Todd Harthan and Todd Helbing have signed on as co-showrunners, with Harthan sharing the show creator title with Paolini. Todd Harthan co-wrote the 2007 movie Skinwalkers, but most of his work has been in TV, where he’s been a writer and showrunner on High Potential and The Resident, among other series. He also created the series Rosewood. Of the two Todds, Helbing has the stronger genre resume: He was a writer and showrunner on The Flash, and co-created Superman & Lois with Greg Berlanti (he was also showrunner for that series). His first writing credit, on IMDb, is an episode of Smallville. Helbing was also a writer and supervising producer on the second season of Black Sails, which is sort of funny: One of his Black Sails colleagues, co-creator Jonathan E. Steinberg, is now the co-creator of Disney’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Like Eragon, Percy was initially a poorly received film before becoming a Disney+ series. According to Variety, the logline for the Eragon series is: “When destiny selects an ordinary teenager to become the first Dragon Rider in over a hundred years, he must forge an unbreakable bond with his dragon, master ancient magic, and challenge the mad king who destroyed the Riders.” No casting or production timeline has been announced for Eragon.[end-mark] The post Disney+’s <i>Eragon</i> Series Has Finally Found Its Showrunners appeared first on Reactor.

Movies & TV Star Trek: Starfleet Academy What Was Left Behind — Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s “Series Acclimation Mil” “I loved this episode and it made me cry.” By Keith R.A. DeCandido | Published on February 5, 2026 Comment 0 Share New Share In 2005, in advance of the series finale of Enterprise, Rick Berman and Brannon Braga described the episode as a Valentine to the fans. The episode that actually aired was, um, not that, and since then, many Trek viewers have come to view that phrase with understandable cynicism. So let me start by saying that, unlike “These are the Voyages…” the latest episode of Starfleet Academy is a genuine Valentine to the fans in general and to Deep Space Nine in particular. Having said that, the episode put me on a massive roller coaster, and may do the same for you, so let me just tell you to be patient and go all the way through to the end (including the closing credits). To be clear: I loved this episode and it made me cry. Keep that in mind as you read on. The roller coaster started upward when I learned of the episode’s title. Series Acclimation Mil, or SAM, is one of my favorite characters on the show. Magnificently inhabited by Kerrice Brooks, SAM is that quintessential Trek character, the unique outsider who is trying to understand the human condition. It’s the role played by Spock, Data, Odo, the EMH, Seven of Nine, T’Pol, Saru, and T’Lyn. SAM has the added entertainment value of being a teenager who was only created recently by the Kasq, a species of holograms. We learn a lot about the Kasq in this episode, including that they were originally created as a subject species by organics, but at some point the organics went away and the holograms took over. This episode focuses entirely on SAM, showing her attempts to integrate—and also the pressure being put on her by the folks back home (in the form of a non-corporeal and non-hominid hologram voiced by the great Chiwetel Ejiofor). Then the episode started, and we see SAM being pressured by the Kasq to take a class on Confronting the Unexplainable, and one of the unexplainable things is Benjamin Sisko, who has never been seen since he went to the fire caves on Bajor to stop the Pah-Wraiths in “What You Leave Behind.” Did he die in the caves or did he remain with the Prophets, or what? The image of Sisko on the screen doesn’t show his face. We later find out that the Bajorans forbid images of Sisko’s face for religious reasons. At this point, the roller coaster goes down. Avery Brooks (no relation to the actor who plays SAM) forced the producers of DS9 to make it clear that Sisko intended to return, not that he’d remain in the wormhole/Celestial Temple forever, and particularly that the one of the best fathers in science fiction television wouldn’t abandon his pregnant wife. The image of a Black man abandoning his family is not one that sat well with Brooks, nor should it have. The fact that they didn’t show his face indicated to me the possibility that they were unable to secure Brooks’ cooperation or get his permission to use his likeness. To be fair, it also indicated the possibility that they just didn’t ask. Indeed, in the post-finale DS9 fiction that Simon & Schuster published from 2001-2021, Sisko did return just in time for the birth of his daughter, in the 2003 novel Unity by S.D. Perry. (Your humble reviewer contributed several works of fiction to that post-finale DS9 slate.) So before the credits rolled, I’m already pissed off. Then we get through the credits, and I see who has written this: Kirsten Beyer and Tawny Newsome. Now the roller coaster’s slowly starting to creep back up. Beyer is a veteran Trek novelist (and also, full disclosure, a friend of your humble reviewer), who was brought into the stable of Trek fictioneers by Marco Palmieri, also the editor of that selfsame post-finale DS9 fiction. Newsome is a devoted fan, and also the actor who voiced (and in one episode of Strange New Worlds, portrayed physically) Beckett Mariner on Lower Decks, and is also a woman of color. So I had hope. SAM feels an immediate affinity for Sisko, because she, too, is an emissary. However, we’re already up to midterms, and joining the Confronting the Unexplainable class would be difficult. In fact, the class’s professor, Isla, who presents as Cardassian (and is played by Newsome), says it’s too late to sign up. But if she can solve the mystery of Sisko, she’ll let SAM teach the class. So SAM digs in. She tries to learn everything she can about Sisko, including visiting the Sisko Museum in Louisiana. This being the thirty-second century, she doesn’t have to go there, because a virtual version of the museum can be set up in a room of the Academy. At one point, she calls up a recording of Sisko’s son Jake giving a talk—and the roller coaster shoots right up because that’s Cirroc Lofton! They actually got Lofton to play Jake once again—and in a lovely touch, he’s wearing a Bajoran earring! He talks about how much he loves his father and what a great father he was and other nifty stuff. SAM also makes some missteps along the way, like going to the Academy’s Bajoran Club and making a pig’s ear out of querying them about a major religious figure. But she also gloms onto one very important part of Sisko: food. Isla pushes her in this direction by talking about tomatoes in gumbo, as opinion is divided on the subject. (It’s traditionally Cajun gumbo versus Creole gumbo, though that isn’t mentioned specifically. On the other hand, that particular distinction may have faded over the course of the next two thousand years. On the third hand, which we’ll borrow from Arex or Kelzing, it is Sisko’s Creole Kitchen, and Creole is the tradition that uses tomatoes, which is what Sisko did.) Since SAM can’t consume food, she instead prepares a mess of food from Sisko’s Creole Kitchen for her fellow cadets—who, of course, love it. Jay-Den’s description is my favorite: “My mouth is on fire—and I never want it to go out,” which is about the highest praise you can give to Creole food. She also wants to go to the Launching Pad—which doesn’t exist anymore centuries later, but there’s another bar on the same location called the Academy. SAM wants to go there because Sisko did, and famously got into a fight with a Vulcan there (as detailed in “Take Me Out to the Holosuite”). Caleb even is able to mess about with her source code so she can be drunk (with the added benefit of allowing her to be “dialed back” to sober afterward). She’s a hilarious drunk, and of course, a bar fight eventually breaks out between the Academy cadets and the War College cadets. (There’s a fabulous cameo by drag queen Jackie Cox as the bartender, and I really hope this isn’t a one-off, as I’d love to see her as a recurring character.) There’s a lovely scene in sickbay after that when SAM asks the EMH if he knew Sisko. He didn’t—which tracks, as Voyager didn’t return home until after Sisko went into the Celestial Temple—but he did meet Jake, and says he was a fabulous author. (Since the EMH is something of an author himself, as seen in “Author, Author” and other places, this is a nice touch.) The EMH also says he’s never read Jake’s most famous work, Anslem, which was apparently never published. (In the alternate future of “The Visitor,” the book was published; in the mainline timeline he started it in “The Muse.” This episode reveals that anslem is the Bajoran word for father.) Finally, Isla decides to give SAM a gift: a bound copy of Anslem that was apparently entrusted to her. SAM devours it, and then also interacts with a hologram of Jake. It’s not clear whether or not this hologram is an integrated feature of the bound book or SAM hallucinating or what. But it doesn’t matter, as the conversation itself is glorious. Jake talks about how his father did things his own way. The Prophets told him that if he married Kasidy Yates, he’d only know sorrow (as seen in “Penumbra”), but he went ahead and married her anyhow (in “Til Death Do Us Part”). At this point, the roller coaster shoots upward. Because it’s right there in the prophecy he was given in “Penumbra.” If he never returns from the Celestial Temple, that’s the sorrow he’ll always know, that he abandoned his pregnant wife. Is it a perfect solution? No, but it’s one that works with what’s been established, and at least retroactively justifies the ill-thought-out decision made in 1999. The roller coaster levelled off earlier in the episode when the computer gives Sisko’s background. I was wondering how this episode, written by two women (a gender not at all represented on DS9’s writing staff), would address the fact that Sisko was the product of a rape. As established in “Image in the Sand” and “Shadows and Symbols,” the Prophets possessed a woman named Sarah, paired her off with Joseph Sisko, and they had Benjamin. The Prophets stopped possessing her after Sisko turned one, and she left them. The computer presentation here, however, says that Sarah was both human and Prophet, which is not what was established, though it retcons away the rape, kind of. At least they made an effort, but I wish the episode had confronted that head-on, because the difficulties of being an emissary is the heart of the episode. The pressure being put on SAM by the Kasq back home is tremendous, to the point where they want to summon her home and go back to avoiding organics like the plague. It’s very hard for them to even consider trusting organics again. The problematic nature of Sisko’s birth could have been addressed front and center as another issue, especially since SAM was also created by outside forces to fulfill a particular function. SAM feels the pressure of her mission in every photon. She doesn’t want to leave the Academy, as she’s made friends here, and she really feels she can learn what the folks home want, but she needs more time, and she needs to do it her way. Eventually, she tells the Kasq off and tells them to leave her alone and let her do her job. She also realizes something: she found nothing about tomatoes or gumbo in any of her research. So how did Isla know about it? For that matter, how’d this Cardassian woman wind up with a unique book? First Isla brushes her hair back to show the Trill spots that indicate that she’s got at least one other species in her ancestry, then reveals her full name of Isla Dax. “Benjamin would have liked you,” she tells SAM in a vocal intonation that’s right out of Terry Farrell (and the earlier tomato conversation was right out of Nicole deBoer). “He loved people who got in trouble for the right reasons.” Yes, it’s another legacy character. Yes, it’s self-indulgent. Yes, the Dax symbiont should be on its last legs at this point. (Something the writers were fully cognizant of in Discovery’s “Jinaal.”) But I’m totally willing to forgive it, because I love the idea of Dax still being around and still guarding her friend’s legacy. Every performance in this episode is magnificent, particularly Lofton’s, but it’s Brooks as SAM who owns it. So many wonderful touches, from her learning the theremin (for reasons that are wonderfully multifaceted) to the fact that she has a different greeting for each of her friends among the cadets (my favorite is Ocam’s). Director Larry Teng did a lovely job by showing us SAM’s POV in many scenes, with little drawings and diagrams and notes on her thoughts (starting with her crossing out the “A CBS STUDIOS PRODUCTION” title and replacing it with “A STORY ABOUT ME”) as she provides a voiceover throughout. At the episode’s end, we learn that the voiceover is SAM talking to Sisko, wherever he might be. And then there’s a magnificent voiceover from Avery Brooks, a colloquy on love that is the perfect coda to the episode, and which they absolutely could not have done without his permission. Which shoots the roller coaster straight up into orbit and stays there. (Also: look at the cloud formation over San Francisco at the very end. Trust me.) The closing credits start with “Thank you, Avery,” and then plays, not the theme for this show, but DS9’s theme music. I haven’t said anything about the B-plot, which is another attempt by Ake to get Kelrec to trust her, in this case by assisting him with a diplomatic mission, aided by the EMH and Reno. Mostly, it’s an opportunity for more Felix-and-Oscar scenes with Raoul Bhaneja and Holly Hunter and for Tig Notaro and Robert Picardo to be amusing, both of which are fun things, and which are pretty much just there to justify Hunter’s place at the top of the opening credits (she does have a scene with SAM that mentions her time on Bajor, but that’s it as far as her involvement with the A-plot). It’s harmless fluff. And yes, it’s a Valentine to the fans, and a damn good one. And yes, I cried. Happily.[end-mark] The post What Was Left Behind — <i>Star Trek: Starfleet Academy</i>’s “Series Acclimation Mil” appeared first on Reactor.

One of America’s most well-known left-leaning legal groups has asked the United Nations to investigate the Trump administration, alleging human rights violations and racial discrimination by federal agents in Minnesota.   The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Minnesota sent an “urgent submission” to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, or CERD, regarding federal immigration enforcement and treatment of protesters in the state.  The U.N. committee defines early warning measures as “aimed at preventing existing situations escalating into conflicts.” It defines urgent procedures as responding to “problems requiring immediate attention to prevent or limit the scale or number of serious violations.” The ACLU request calls for the U.N. committee to use its early warning and urgent action procedures to probe alleged violations of international human rights obligations.  “The Trump administration’s egregious crackdown in Minnesota is not only flouting the Constitution but also United States international human rights obligations that prohibit the use of racial and ethnic profiling, extra-judicial killings and unlawful use of force against protesters and observers,” said Jamil Dakwar, director the Human Rights Program at the American Civil Liberties Union.   The ACLU’s submission argues that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have stopped and arrested residents of Minnesota based on race, ethnicity, and national origin, which is a violation of rights enshrined in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, or ICERD. The United States signed on to the convention in 1994.  “We are calling on the United Nations to hold the U.S. government accountable for its blatant violations of international law and to officially report on its disregard for their human rights treaty obligations,” Dakwar added.   Submission of the ACLU and ACLU MN to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination _ American Civil Liberties UnionDownload Dakwar is a longstanding critic of President Donald Trump, posting on X, formerly Twitter, after the 2020 election, “No matter who wins, it’s deeply concerning that millions more Americans chose to support Trump since 2016 despite his clear record of mishandling the pandemic, endorsing racism, violence and misogyny, dehumanizing migrants, and defying scientists and public health experts.”   In May 2020, after Trump announced Antifa would be classified as a domestic terrorist group, Dakwar posted, “We repeatedly warned against Trump’s authoritarianism but this move is very dangerous and seriously threatens basic civil liberties and human rights.” “He is promoting white supremacy agenda and abusing presidential powers,” Dakwar said. In December, ICE increased deployment to the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, but began a drawdown of agents this week. Also, ICE agents fatally shot two anti-ICE agitators in matters under internal investigation.   The ACLU asserts federal agents ignored human rights in their enforcement activity, and have unfairly targeted Somali and Latino communities.  Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to inquiries for this story.   The press offices for the U.N. and the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights did not immediately respond to inquiries for this story.  The post This Left-Wing Group Wants UN Probe of Trump Over Minnesota Enforcement appeared first on The Daily Signal.

House Republicans are pressuring the Senate to employ a risky procedural maneuver to force a vote on election integrity legislation. The SAVE America Act would institute national requirements of proof of citizenship to register to vote, as well as photo identification to vote in federal elections. In recent days, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., has publicly urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to force a “standing filibuster,” also known as a “talking filibuster,” in the Senate. This procedural maneuver could force Democrats to continue talking in order to stall the passage of bills, rather than just killing the bill by withholding their support indefinitely. But Thune, a supporter of the SAVE America Act, has warned the approach would use up valuable floor time. “We will vote on the SAVE Act, but… triggering a talking filibuster has ramifications, implications that I think everybody needs to be aware of,” Thune said. An update regarding the SAVE (America) Act and Voter ID: pic.twitter.com/50AVPLoAl1— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) February 4, 2026 The Daily Signal spoke to Republicans in both chambers of Congress who gave their opinion on the matter. The House Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., is one House conservative with little reverence for the Senate filibuster. For most legislation in the Senate, 60 senators must vote to end debate in order for a bill to come to a final vote. “The bottom line is the only way the SAVE Act passes is if the filibuster’s [overcome], whether it’s the standing filibuster or just doing away with it all together,” Steube told The Daily Signal. With all due respect, these excuses aren’t going to cut it.The American people rightfully expect our Republican Congress to DELIVER on our promises.To do so, we must return to the talking filibuster and pass real, America First wins.Starting with the SAVE Act. https://t.co/Q7tZOqdl3R— Rep. Andrew Clyde (@Rep_Clyde) February 3, 2026 Steube also revealed Luna was trying to get House Republican signatures on a letter to Senate Republican leadership to overcome the 60-vote threshold. A spokesman for Luna did not respond to a request for confirmation of whether she was circulating a letter. How Would the Talking Filibuster Work? The idea of a talking filibuster is to enforce rule 19 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, which states, “no Senator shall speak more than twice upon any one question in debate on the same legislative day without leave of the Senate.” Under the rule, Senate Republicans would refuse to adjourn and would force Democrats to talk in order to filibuster the bill. Once the Democrats ran out of speeches on the question of the bill, it would come to a vote and pass by a simple majority. However, under this procedure, Democrats could use up hundreds of hours of floor time on just one legislative question. Rep. Roy breaks down how Leader Thune can force a talking filibuster on the SAVE America Act, requiring Democrats to take the floor and explain to the American people why they oppose securing our elections. WATCH?? pic.twitter.com/K9yqeXEXq2— Rep. Chip Roy Press Office (@RepChipRoy) February 5, 2026 Forcing the talking filibuster is distinct from “nuking the filibuster,” which involves changing Senate rules. Then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., strongly considered the talking filibuster approach in 2022, in order to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Senate Democrats ultimately tried another way to exempt the bill from the 60-vote cloture requirement, but failed with bipartisan opposition. Are Senate Republicans on Board? Senate Republicans have taken notice of the pressure from the House. On Wednesday, Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told The Daily Signal that the matter of forcing a talking filibuster “came up in our luncheon today and we’ve agreed to set aside time to discuss it.” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., a supporter of the SAVE America Act, told The Daily Signal he appreciated House Republicans’ advocacy of the talking filibuster. “I completely agree with them. I want to thank Anna Paulina for her focus on that,” said Scott. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, one of the bill’s authors, has also pushed for the procedure, and Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., has similarly called for a “return to tradition” to force debate of the bill. My colleague, @SenAshleyMoody, nails it with this message:Return to Senate tradition Require filibustering senators to (gasp) actually speakUsing existing Senate rulesPass the SAVE America Act https://t.co/L2WFN3o0CZ pic.twitter.com/rgk6oUJgeL— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) February 4, 2026 Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told The Daily Signal of using the procedure, “I’m very warm to it, but I don’t know, I can’t speak for others.” However, any change to the typical 60-vote threshold would be a major culture shock in the Senate. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who is not seeking reelection in 2026, outright rejected the idea. “We all know that people try to stick their nose under the tent to erode the filibuster,” Tillis told The Daily Signal. “Anything that convinces me that we’re nuking the filibuster, I’m not going to support.” Tillis continued, “I’m happy to talk about it, but every time we’ve discussed it before it really did sound like it was another back doorway, kind of like Harry Reid did. I don’t want to be like Harry Reid. Rest in peace.” In 2013, under the tenure of the now-deceased Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., the Senate lowered the 60-vote cloture threshold to a simple majority for confirming presidential nominees other than Supreme Court justices. A few years later in 2017, the Senate Republican majority would lower the cloture threshold for Supreme Court nominees, as well. The post House GOP Pressures Senate on ‘Talking Filibuster’ for SAVE Act appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Come learn all about calendula: my favorite edible and medicinal herb! This guide will explore how to grow calendula, along with how to harvest and dry calendula flowers to use for natural skin care, infused oil, salves and more. In addition to providing a burst of sunshine in the garden, you may be surprised to learn what amazing therapeutic properties it offers! We’ve been growing calendula for over 10 years so this guide is full of pro tips, recipes, and our favorite varieties to grow. We even have a designated “calendula farm” garden area now, where we grow flowers exclusively for our organic skincare line. NOTE: This post was originally published in June 2019 but has been significantly updated since. Disclosure: Homestead and Chill is reader-supported. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. About Calendula Calendula officinalis is a cheerful, daisy-like flowering herb that is highly prized by gardeners and herbalist alike. It’s gorgeous, easy to grow, has a long blooming season, attracts pollinators to the garden (bees love it!), and is easy to save seeds from. It’s one of my favorite easy annual flowers to grow, hands-down. Calendula is highly medicinal and edible, with many wonderful uses beyond the garden – including in the kitchen, natural medicine, and skin care products. Calendula is especially renown for its ability to soothe skin issues. Note that calendula is sometimes referred to as “pot marigold” but don’t confuse it with true marigolds, such as french marigolds. They’re distinctly different, and not nearly as medicinal in nature. Benefits of Calendula If you read labels, you’ll probably notice calendula as a key ingredient in many natural skin care products, and for a good reason! When used topically, studies consistently show that calendula can ease, heal, or otherwise treat a huge array of skin conditions including rashes, swelling, eczema, burns, sunburn, acne, stings, wounds, scrapes, scars, and more. Calendula works its magic by promoting cellular repair and growth, coupled with its natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s most commonly applied to skin as calendula-infused oil, a healing salve, or lotion. Above all, calendula is gentle in its work. According to expert herbalist Rosemary Gladstar, “calendula is a wonderful herb for babies – popular for treating cradle cap, diaper rash, thrush, and other skin irritations.” When used internally (via tea or tincture) it can help boost the immune and lymphatic systems, fight fungal infections, reduce inflammation, menstrual cramps, and gastrointestinal upset, as well as keep fevers at bay. It’s also an anti-viral. Photos one of our happy customers sent us recently: eczema on her arm before-and-after using our calendula salve for about a week. Our Favorite Calendula Varieties Calendula comes in dozens of shades of the sunset: golden yellow, bright to light oranges, blushing reds, and some of my favorite, peachy-pink tones. Some plants grow quite tall (over 3 feet) while other varieties stay more compact and bushy. They all offer amazing healing properties, yet the more sticky and resinous the flowers are, the more potent your homemade calendula products will be. Some of our personal favorite calendula varieties to grow include: Resina, Pacific Beauty, Strawberry Blonde, Pink Surprise, Oopsy Daisy and Zeolights. How to Grow Calendula Calendula is just about as no-fuss and low-maintenance as they come! It’s easy to grow calendula from seed, or you may be able to find seedlings at your local nursery in spring. It grows well in just about every zone, including in containers. Direct sow calendula seeds outdoors after the last spring frost in your zone, or start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost. See tips on starting seeds indoors in the section to follow. Plant calendula seedlings outside once the risk of frost has passed, spacing plants about 8 to 12 inches apart in the garden. Calendula is not picky about soil. It performs best in moderately rich, well-draining soil but is known to tolerate poor soil conditions too. Some of our volunteer calendula plants grow happily in gravel even! Calendula grows best in full sun, though partial or afternoon shade can be beneficial in places with exceptionally hot summer weather. Provide moderate water. Calendula is fairly drought-tolerant so it won’t appreciate overly wet conditions. Once established, calendula is tolerant to both heat and cold. In places with mild winters, you can grow it year-round! Expect prolific blooms from calendula in spring through fall.  Calendula readily self-seeds (especially if you don’t harvest the flowers) so new plants will grow back as “volunteers” year after year. Our old back yard garden. We often plant calendula in our raised beds amongst the veggies, but they also self-seed and happily grow in the gravel around them! Starting Calendula Seeds Indoors We prefer to start our calendula indoors to get a jump start on the growing season, which means harvesting blooms sooner too! To start indoors, sow calendula seeds in containers of fluffy seed-starting mix about 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost date in your zone. Plant seeds approximately 1/4-inch deep. Use a seedling heat mat to help encourage quick germination, and provide ample bright light (e.g. a grow light) to prevent them from getting leggy. Keep the soil evenly damp but not soggy. Transplant calendula seedlings outside once the risk of frost has passed, but be sure to harden off indoor seedlings first to prevent transplant shock! Pro Tip: I always thin my seedlings to one plant per cell or seedling pot within just a week or two of sprouting. (I simply trim out the extras at the soil line.) Early thinning reduces competition and makes seedlings grow SO much faster! See our complete guide on starting seeds indoors for more detailed tips. Calendula seedlings we started indoors under grow lights Once they’re hardened off, it’s time to plant them in the garden Calendula Pests and Disease Control Thankfully, calendula doesn’t attract many pests. I’ve heard it’s deer resistant too! Thrips, aphis and whiteflies may occasionally bother calendula plants, which can be blasted off with water or treated with homemade insecticidal soap. We occasionally see tiny bugs on our flowers but don’t treat them since they’re used for organic skincare products. Instead, the bugs seems to simply disappear once we harvest and dehydrate the flowers. The most common disease that effects calendula is powdery mildew, which unfortunately is very prevalent here. Avoid overcrowding plants to increase airflow and reduce the chances of disease. Thankfully, the mildew seems to mostly affect the foliage and not the blooms. Learn how to prevent and treat powdery mildew organically here. The new expanded “calendula farm” at our current homestead How to Harvest Calendula To harvest calendula, simply pluck or cut off the whole flower head where it meets the stem. Don’t pick petals only. Contrary to popular belief, the most medicinal part is the sticky green base of the flower head, NOT the petals alone. For the most healing benefits, harvest calendula flowers when they’re∫, and have just fully opened. If your schedule allows, it’s best to harvest calendula mid-morning, shortly after the new blooms have opened but after any dew has dried. Wet flowers can mold in storage! My fingers get super sticky when I’m picking calendula… but that’s a good thing! Again, the sticky resin is where most of the healing power comes from. Older, fading calendula flowers (including those forming seed) aren’t as medicinal in nature. You can either leave those on the plant to fully mature and dry out for seed-saving OR snip them off to discard before the seeds mature – which will reduce self-seeding and keep your plants looking tidy. Routine dead-heading will also promote more new blooms! After harvest, it’s key to start drying the flowers right away to prevent mold. See drying instructions below. Pro Tip: Don’t be shy about harvesting calendula flowers! The more you harvest, the more will grow. So if you’re serious about stocking up on calendula, plan harvest new blooms every few days. The dewy calendula bloom on the left is too dewy to harvest just yet. Wait until the sun comes out, they dry a bit, and then snip away! Shown are Zeolight and Solar Flashback varieties. How to Dry Calendula It’s essential to fully dry calendula flowers before putting them away for storage. Otherwise, the thick sticky flowers are prone to growing mold. (I’ve heard so many horror stories about jars full of moldy blooms – SO sad!) Plus, it’s important to use 100% dry flowers to make calendula oil or salves, which can also grow mold if they aren’t properly dried first. You can dry calendula in a food dehydrator or attempt to air dry the flowers (both explained below). However, I don’t recommend drying calendula flowers in the oven. Exposure to high heat can denature and ruin its therapeutic compounds. Don’t wash calendula flowers before drying. Extra moisture isn’t welcome! If needed, gently shake them out to dislodge dust or occasional insects. In my experience, the flowers are pretty clean since we harvest newly-opened blooms. We dry our calendula flowers whole. You can also dry just the petals, which will dry more quickly and have less chance of mold. However, plucking petals is tedious and you lose the most medicinal part (the base of the flower). How to Air Dry Calendula It’s possible to passively air dry calendula flowers under the right conditions. It takes a bit of time and patience (up to a week or longer), but be forewarned they could develop mold if they don’t dry quickly enough. Spread out the calendula flowers on screens, in airy baskets, or other breathable racks like this mesh hanging herb drying rack. Then place them in a warm, well-ventilated, arid location to dry. Periodically toss and turn the blooms to ensure they’re drying evenly. You can also set up a fan nearby to encourage good airflow. I personally don’t mess with air drying – especially in our cool, mild climate. It simply takes too long and don’t want to risk them molding. Plus, we want to ensure the flowers are 1000% dry before making infused oil and salves (so they don’t spoil) so we use our food dehydrator. Something about laying out all these heads is very therapeutic. Drying Calendula in a Food Dehydrator Drying calendula flowers in a food dehydrator is the most quick, effective, and foolproof method. Spread the flowers out in a single layer (not piled up or overlapping) on your dehydrator trays. Dehydrate them on a low heat setting – ideally around 95-100°F – until they’re fully dry. Remember, high heat can ruin some of their beneficial properties! Our favorite Excalibur dehydrator has a “living foods” setting we like to use for calendula and other sensitive herbs. The time it takes to fully dry varies depending on your dehydrator and the thickness of the flowers. For example, some of our smallest blooms dry well within one day while very large flower heads take longer. We usually dry our calendula for at least 48 hours (or longer) before putting it away for storage, just to be safe. Dang, that is a sexy machine full of sunshine. Shop Excalibur dehydrators here How to Store Calendula Once they’re fully dry, store dried calendula flowers in an airtight container (e.g. large glass jars) in a cool, dark location. Dried calendula will be the most potent if used within one year, though it’s still okay to use for several years – as long as the flowers are still in good dry condition (not moldy). How to Use Calendula for Skin Care Come experience the magic of calendula for skin health for yourself! When applied topically, it can soothe skin irritation better than prescription creams. You can make homemade calendula oil, which is made by steeping and slowly infusing the dried flowers in a carrier oil of choice (such as olive oil, jojoba oil, or sweet almond oil) – alone or with other dried herbs like chaomo. After several weeks, strain away the flowers and you’re left with a potent, therapeutic oil that can be applied directly to skin or used in other skin care products. Use calendula oil as an ingredient to make homemade calendula salve, soap, lotion, hand cream, body butter, lip balm and more. See related recipes below. Oil aside, you can add calendula petals (or dried flowers) to homemade bath salts, soap, body scrubs or right into a bubble bath. RELATED: Don’t miss our easy step-by-step guides on how to make calendula oil and homemade calendula salve, or our whipped body butter recipe! We also offer premium organic calendula salve, face oil, and hand and body lotion in our shop – made by hand with love on our homestead. Calendula infused oil Homemade calendula salve Our calendula aloe vera organic hand and body lotion Other Ways to Use Calendula Sprinkle fresh or dried calendula petals as a garnish on top of salads (or any dish really) for playful pop of color! I like to add the petals to salads, spring rolls, quiche, ice tea, mocktails, flower-infused ice cubes, or to dress up the top of dips like guacamole or summer salsa. Make calendula tea! Calendula tea tastes mild and earthy, and offers great anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties. According to the Chestnut School of Herbs, calendula tea is especially popular to ease heartburn, digestive issues, menstrual cramps and swollen lymph glands. Steep about 1 to 2 loose tablespoons of dried petals, or 4 to 6 whole dried flower per 8 ounces of water. Cover and steep in hot water for 8 to 10 minutes, and then enjoy! If you have chickens, calendula petals can be added to their nesting boxes as a natural insect repellent. Also, if you feed your chickens fresh or dried calendula petals, their egg yolks will be even more golden orange! Plus, they’ll reap all the health benefits by consuming it as well. Frequently Asked Questions Is calendula frost tolerant? Yes, mature calendula plants are frost tolerant once established (but not hardy against a full hard freeze). They may exhibit some slight damage or wilting after exposure to frost but will bounce back and continue to grow. Is calendula an annual or perennial? Calendula is most often grown as an annual flower in most zones, though it can survive as a short-lived perennial in warmer climates too (zone 9-11). Should you prune calendula? Calendula doesn’t usually need to be pruned, though routine harvesting (or dead-heading) of the flowers will help promote more new blooms. If parts of the plant get sparse and unhealthy looking, you can cut the plant back by about 1/3 to encourage fresh new growth. Are there any risks with using calendula? Calendula is generally considered very gentle and safe to use, especially when used topically. However, calendula is a member of the daisy family so it could trigger allergies for those sensitive to the Asteraceae family – such as ragweed, marigolds, daisies, goldenrod and dandelion. And that concludes this lesson on growing and using calendula! I hope you found this article to be interesting and helpful as you start your calendula journey. Even if you don’t plan to make salves and oil, you won’t regret adding it to your garden! Feel free to ask questions in the comments. If you want to dive deeper, I highly recommend checking out the book “Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide” by Rosemary Gladstar. It has been one of my key sources of information and inspiration thus far – for calendula, and beyond! Another great resource is this Organic Body Care Recipes book. Don’t miss these related posts: Growing Herbs 101: How to Start a Kitchen Herb Garden, Indoors or Out How to Dry Fresh Herbs: 4 Easy Ways + Storage Tips Pressing Flowers for Beginners: How to Press Flowers 4 Ways (Pros and Cons) 7 Best Easy Annual Flowers to Grow In Any Zone (With Photos) Did you enjoy this article? Want to hear more? Stay in touch! Sign up below to receive weekly updates on new posts from Homestead and Chill. The post How to Grow, Harvest, Dry and Use Calendula Flowers (With Photos) appeared first on Homestead and Chill.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. At the 2026 World Government Summit in Dubai, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a set of measures aimed at reshaping how social media platforms operate within Spain and across Europe. He described social media as a “failed state” and declared that if governments want to protect citizens, “there is only one thing we can do: take back control.” The proposal, to be introduced in Spain’s parliament next week, includes holding platform executives criminally accountable for illegal content, criminalizing algorithmic amplification of prohibited material, and creating a “Hate and Polarization Footprint” to monitor how companies spread divisive content.  Sánchez also said his government will “work with our public prosecutor to investigate and pursue the infringements committed by Grok, TikTok and Instagram” and promised “zero tolerance on this matter.” He further announced that Spain has joined five other European nations in forming a “Coalition of the Digital Willing,” which is “committed to enforcing stricter, faster, and more effective regulation of social media platforms.”  According to Sánchez, the coalition will hold its first meeting soon to “advance coordinated action at a multinational scale.” Digital rights advocates and technology leaders have voiced serious concern that these initiatives risk expanding government surveillance and undermining free speech.  Telegram founder Pavel Durov said on Wednesday that “Pedro Sánchez’s government is pushing dangerous new regulations that threaten your internet freedoms. Announced just yesterday, these measures could turn Spain into a surveillance state under the guise of ‘protection.’” He warned that the plan will cause “increased government-led censorship of online content, breaches of privacy through de-anonymizing users and mass-surveillance.” Spain has already demonstrated a willingness to disrupt core internet infrastructure in the name of enforcement. In its ongoing campaign against unlicensed football streaming, courts have granted LaLiga the power to compel internet service providers to block broad Cloudflare IP ranges used by piracy-linked sites. These blocks, which often coincide with matchdays, have had collateral effects far beyond the intended targets. Services like GitHub, Steam, and X have periodically gone dark for Spanish users because they share Cloudflare’s infrastructure. Despite challenges from Cloudflare and cybersecurity organizations, a Spanish court reaffirmed the legality of these shutdowns. The mass blocking of unrelated websites has driven widespread VPN adoption as users attempt to bypass state-imposed restrictions. The aggressive posture toward network-level censorship shows that the Sánchez government’s proposed crackdown on social media is part of a broader pattern of overreach. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Spanish PM Declares War on the Internet While Calling It Protection appeared first on Reclaim The Net.