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'Lofty perch far from the facts'

'A hard no'

President Donald Trump sharply criticized a reporter for asking a question about deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein amid the devastating Texas flash flooding that has killed more than 100 people, including dozens of children. “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? Been talked about for years. You’re asking, we have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things, and are people still talking about this guy, this creep?” Trump asked at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. “That is unbelievable.” “I can’t believe you’re asking a question on Epstein at a time like this, where we’re having some of the greatest success and tragedy with what happened in Texas, it just seems like a desecration,” the president added. Attorney General Pam Bondi then sought to explain why the public has not gained access to more of the Epstein files as promised. In February, Bondi said the file was on her desk for review, but rather than a list of names of prominent people who visited the multimillionaire’s private island, the file contained child porn. “The tens of thousands of videos, they turned out to be child porn downloaded by that disgusting Jeffrey Epstein,” Bondi said. “Child porn is what they were, never released, never going to see the light of day.” Bondi said she has no knowledge of Epstein being a foreign agent, though she promised to look into it. The Justice Department released a video showing the prison around the time of Epstein’s reported suicide, but the video was not conclusive, Bondi said, because one minute of recording was missing. “We’re looking for that video, to release that as well, showing that a minute is missing every night,” Bondi said. “And that’s it on Epstein.” At Monday’s briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt answered a question about the absence of the Epstein client list. “So, what happened to the Epstein client list that the attorney general said that she had on her desk?” Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Leavitt. “Well, I think if you go back and look at what the attorney general said in that interview with your network, on Fox News,” Leavitt began. “I got the quote,” Doocy said. “[Fox News Anchor] John Roberts said, the DOJ may be releasing the list of Jeffrey Epstein clients. Will that really happen?’ And [Bondi] said, ‘It’s sitting right now on my desk to review.‘” “Yes, she was saying the entirety of all of the paperwork, all of the paper in relation to Jeffrey Epstein crimes,” Leavitt responded. “That’s what the attorney general was referring to.” The post AG Bondi Explains Why Trump Admin Hasn’t Released Epstein Client List appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., who was the lead sponsor of the Laken Riley Act, is considering a Senate run against Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., next year. “So many of you have asked me to take a look at this, and we are, because I respect the feedback and, frankly, your encouragement,” Collins said in a video posted on the social media platform X on Tuesday afternoon. Where I stand on running for U.S. Senate in Georgia. pic.twitter.com/kZg2gB5Hiv— Mike Collins (@MikeCollinsGA) July 8, 2025 “And I agree with you: [Georgia Sen.] Jon Ossoff, man, he must go. I mean, he certainly doesn’t represent the vast majority of Georgians,” Collins noted in the video. “He certainly doesn’t represent the Georgian values that I cherish so much,” the Georgia congressman added. Collins is perhaps best known for sponsoring the Laken Riley Act. It is named for Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was murdered by an illegal alien on Feb. 22, 2024. The legislation requires the detention of illegal aliens who have been charged with theft, assaulting a police officer, or other crimes leading to death or serious bodily injury. Collins has represented Georgia’s 10th Congressional District since 2023. Several other Republicans have already announced their candidacy for the party’s Senate nomination, but Collins would be one of the most high-profile candidates if he gets into the race. The Republican nominee would square off against Ossoff, who has served in the upper chamber since 2021.   “Mike was able to get two bills signed into law under two presidents, under two parties, in two years,” a source familiar with the race told The Daily Signal in May. “He’s a workhorse. You can’t stop him, and the state of Georgia has recognized that, too,” the source added.  Ossoff was among 12 Senate Democrats who voted for the Laken Riley Act. It passed the Senate on a bipartisan 64-35 vote on Jan. 20. Collins has also garnered bipartisan support for another legislative priority. In 2023, then-President Joe Biden signed Collins’ TRANQ Act into law, which instructed the National Institute of Standards and Technology to research xylazine, a nonopioid tranquilizer drug, being distributed on the black market.  The Boss just wrapped up his talk with The Signal Sitdown's @bradleydevlin.Tune in tomorrow to get the untold story behind the Laken Riley Act and an inside look into how legislation is passed through Congress.Follow @DailySignal for more. pic.twitter.com/KJhseeCb0k— Rep. Mike Collins’ Press Office (@RepCollinsPress) May 21, 2025 Polling from May found the Georgia congressman within striking distance of Ossoff in a hypothetical general election, trailing the freshman Democrat by fewer than 3 percentage points (45.7% to 43.3%). Collins was also found to have the most support among four potential Republican candidates in polling by the Trafalgar Group in April. Collins graduated from Georgia State University in 1990 with a degree in business before starting a trucking company that has employed more than 100. He also served as chairman of one of the state’s largest credit unions and was president of his local chamber of commerce. Collins hails from a family dedicated to public service. His father, Mac Collins, was also a Republican legislator who served in the Georgia state Senate from 1989 to 1993 and in Congress from 1993 to 2005. The post Moving on Up?: Georgia Congressman Collins Eyes Senate Bid appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Supreme Court Tuesday stayed a district judge’s injunction blocking President Donald Trump from carrying out a “critical transformation of the federal bureaucracy.” Trump signed Executive Order 14210 on Feb. 11, implementing the Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative. On Feb. 26, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought and Office of Personnel Management Acting Director Charles Ezell sent a memorandum applying the order. The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal government employee union, and other unions filed suit to block the order, and U.S. District Judge Susan Illston issued a preliminary injunction blocking the order on May 22. The Supreme Court explained that Judge Illston blocked the actions “based on [her] view” that the order and the memo “are unlawful.” Yet the Supreme Court ruled that Trump’s administration “is likely to succeed on its argument that the Executive Order and Memorandum are lawful.” ?BREAKINGThe Supreme Court blocks a district judge's injunction blocking Trump from lawfully reforming the administrative state.Sotomayor agrees, noting that Trump's blocked EO directed agencies to act "consistent with … law."A great win against the judicial… pic.twitter.com/JlEFB6zxsA— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) July 8, 2025 The Supreme Court expressed no opinion on the legality of any agency reduction in force and reorganization plan produced pursuant to the order and the memo. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, an appointee of President Barack Obama, wrote a brief concurrence with the order. “I agree with [Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson] that the president cannot restructure federal agencies in a manner inconsistent with congressional mandates,” Sotomayor wrote. “Here, however, the relevant executive order directs agencies to plan reorganizations and reductions in force ‘consistent with applicable law,’ and the resulting joint memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel Management reiterates as much.” “The plans themselves are not before this court, at this stage, and we thus have no occasion to consider whether they can and will be carried out consistent with the constraints of law,” the justice added. “I join the court’s stay because it leaves the district court free to consider those questions in the first instance.” Many of the same groups that staffed and advised the Biden administration (which I expose in “The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government”) have filed lawsuits to block Trump’s policies, choosing jurisdictions with more friendly judges in order to secure injunctions. This is a breaking news story and may be updated. The post BREAKING: Supreme Court Allows Trump’s ‘Transformation of the Federal Bureaucracy’ to Proceed appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A Houston pediatrician was fired after making controversial social media comments about victims of the recent Texas Hill Country floods. Blue Fish Pediatrics terminated Dr. Christina Propst following widespread criticism of her Facebook post about Kerr County residents who voted for President Donald Trump last year. Propst has since deleted the viral comment. Propst wrote, “May all visitors, children, non-MAGA voters and pets be safe and dry.” She added that “Kerr County MAGA voted to gut FEMA. They deny climate change. May they get what they voted for.” The devastating July 4 floods caused widespread damage throughout Texas Hill Country, especially in the Kerrville region. In Kerr County, rescuers continue to search for missing campers and a counselor from Camp Mystic after more than two dozen girls and counselors at the camp died. Across the state, at least 105 people have died from the flooding. Propst’s former employer, Blue Fish Pediatrics, responded Sunday to the viral comment with a statement distancing itself from the doctor. “This past weekend, we were made aware of a social media comment from one of our physicians. The individual is no longer employed by Blue Fish Pediatrics,” the Houston-based medical provider wrote. “That post does not reflect the values, standards, or mission of Blue Fish Pediatrics. We do not support or condone any statement that politicizes tragedy, diminishes human dignity, or fails to clearly uphold compassion for every child and family.” The provider added, “We continue to extend our full support to the families and the surrounding communities who are grieving, recovering, and searching for hope.” The post Doctor Fired for Anti-Trump Comments About Texas Flood Victims appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Have you ever planted flowers only to have them quickly stop growing and fade away? Come learn how to deadhead flowers to extend the blooming season and grow larger, healthier plants! This guide will explore the benefits of deadheading, the best types of flowers to deadhead, and exactly when and how to do so. These tips apply to annual flowers like zinnia, cosmos and dahlias as well as perennials like roses and peonies. This simple garden task is easy to do and the reward is huge! Plus, many gardeners find deadheading to be relaxing or therapeutic – myself included. I love to put on some light music, tune into the garden, and try to clear my mind. Enjoy! We plant dozens of companion flowers amongst our veggies and people alway ask, how are your flowers so full and beautiful?! The secret is regular deadheading! (These cupcake cosmos need to be deadheaded here too.) RELATED: Don’t miss our favorite 7 easy annual companion flowers to grow, the 18 best fall flowers for a colorful fall garden, or this fun beginner’s guide on pressing flowers! What is Deadheading? Deadheading is the simple act of removing old, spent flowers from a plant. Pruning away the “dead heads” frees up nutrients that allows the plants to grow and bloom even more! On the other hand, when you don’t deadhead, plant growth typically slows down as it focuses all it’s energy on producing seed instead. For the best results, you should remove a portion of stem along with the adjacent fading flower. See more detailed directions and photos in the “how to deadhead” section to follow. Time to cut this stem Benefits of Deadheading Promotes more new blooms. Don’t worry – the more you pick, the more will grow! That means more flowers for you to enjoy, as well as the bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Leads to larger plants. When fading flowers and stems are removed, most plants respond by growing fresh side shoots and an overall fuller, bushy structure. Extends the blooming season. Routinely deadheading will keep your plants alive, healthy, and blooming far longer than if you let them all go to seed after the first flush of flowers – often into fall for some varieties. For example, we harvest calendula flowers weekly from the same set of plants for nearly a year before they slow down! Reduces seed spread. As much as a I love having a few volunteer flowers pop up in our garden, it would be an absolute mess if we let every single flower head drop all of its seed! Especially flowers that rapidly self-seed like poppies, bachelor’s buttons, marigolds, calendula, and cosmos. However, we do like to leave some seed heads for the wild birds to enjoy, and so we can save flower seeds to replant next year. Healthier plants. Deadheading can improve air circulation around the plant, reducing the risk of fungal diseases that can develop on spent flowers or foliage.  Improved appearance. Rather than looking at crusty old brown flowers and seed heads, I love how fresh, healthy, and tidy our garden looks after a good deadheading session! The Best Flowers to Deadhead The following flowers benefit from regular deadheading: Bee Balm Calendula Coneflower Cosmos Dahlias Daisies Delphinium Geraniums Hydrangea Larkspur Lavender Marigold Mums Peonies Petunias Roses Rudbeckia Snapdragons Strawflower Yarrow Zinnia Let’s get pruning! How to Deadhead Flowers It’s usually best to deadhead flowers using small garden shears or pruning snips, though you may be able to carefully pinch off flower heads or stems by hand as well. Starting at the old flower head that you want to remove, work down the stem until you locate the next healthy set of leaves, side branches, or leaf nodes (where future side shoots will grow from). Trim off the faded blooms about 1/4 inch above the next set of leaves or side shoots down the stem. Depending on the type and age of the flowers, you may end up trimming only a couple inches of stem, or other times much deeper into the plant. To promote lower branches and prevent the plant from getting too top-heaving, I often cut stems at varying heights – some just below the flower head and others a few leaf nodes down the stem. Sanitize pruning snips with rubbing alcohol between plants to prevent the spread of disease. You can also simply pluck off old flower heads, though that leaves plants looking a bit funky – with a bunch of headless stems left sticking up. Since I don’t want our compost full of volunteer flowers, I usually just toss the clippings into our municipal green waste bin. New side shoots growing after deadheading. I find that zinnias tend to grow new side shoots from the second or third set of leaves below the flower head (not the first), so I typically cut there. Deadheading a zinnia three nodes down (just above the side branches) – and the branches will grow their own new side shoots as well! Where I’d trim this cosmos, just above the first two visible side shoots down the stem Same with this strawflower Because we grow and harvest SO much calendula to make organic skincare products for our shop, I don’t both using snips for these. I simply pop the flower heads off with my fingers, though it does leave the plants looking messy with lots of dead stems sticking up. When to Deadhead It’s best to start deadheading when plants are still young, quickly removing the first fading flowers to encourage more growth. Then, continue to routinely deadhead as needed to remove old flowers throughout the growing season. The frequency depends on the type of flower, and how quickly they fade and regrow. We grow a wide variety of flowers in our large garden, so I typically try to deadhead once a week (or at least 2 to 3 times times per month) spring through fall. Doing a little at a time make the chore more quick and manageable than waiting too long! Some serious gardeners may deadhead even more often. For instance, garden expert Monty Don suggests deadheading roses daily during peak bloom in midsummer, and weekly as the bare minimum. The benefits of deadheading extends beyond pruning old, dying blooms. Routinely cutting newer flowers to enjoy in a bouquet or vase also encourages healthier plant growth – so don’t feel like you have to wait until they’re on their way out! Rather than letting them fully fade on the plant, I love to cut bouquets of slightly-older zinnias to enjoy inside – where they last for a couple weeks! The result of a good deadheading session, ready for the green waste. So simple! Well friends, I hope you learned something new today and now feel motivated to get out there and deadhead some flowers! It always amazes me how this one simple task can have such a profound impact on your garden’s health and appearance. Please feel free to ask any questions in the comments below, and leave a review if you found this article to be helpful! You may also enjoy: Seed-Saving 101: How to Save Seeds from Annual Flowers Bird-Friendly Gardens: How to Attract Birds to Your Yard Harvesting Fresh Lavender: How to Harvest, Prune & Dry Lavender Flowers How to Turn Your Yard or Garden into a Certified Wildlife Habitat 15 Best Flowers to Attract Hummingbirds (with photos) Print How to Deadhead Flowers for More Blooms and Healthier Plants Learn when, why, and how to deadhead flowers to extend the blooming season and grow larger, healthier plants (annuals and perennials). Deadheading is easy to do the reward is huge! Equipmentsmall garden pruners or snipsrubbing alcohol or other sanitizer InstructionsStart deadheading flowers when plants are still young, and continue to remove spent flowers routinely (e.g. weekly) as needed throughout the growing season.It’s best to deadhead flowers using small garden pruners or snips, though you may be able to carefully pinch off flower heads or stems by hand.Starting at the spent flower head that you want to remove, work down the stem to until you locate the next healthy set of leaves, side branches, or leaf nodes (where future side shoots will grow from). Trim off the faded blooms about 1/4 inch above the next set of leaves or side shoots down the stem. To promote lower branches and prevent the plant from getting too top-heaving, I often cut stems at varying heights – some just below the flower head and others a few leaf nodes down the stem.Sanitize pruning snips with rubbing alcohol between plants to prevent the spread of disease. NotesThe following flowers benefit from regular deadheading: Bee Balm, Calendula, Coneflower, Cosmos, Dahlias, Daises, Delphinium, Geraniums, Hydrangea, Larkspur, Lavender, Marigold, Mums, Peonies, Petunias, Roses, Rudbeckia, Snapdragons, Strawflower, Yarrow, Zinnia The post How to Deadhead Flowers for More Blooms and Healthier Plants (Photos) appeared first on Homestead and Chill.

DHS to Los Angeles: Get Used to Immigration Enforcement