'It could not have been more disappointing'

BREAKING OVERNIGHT... TRUMP NAMES PAM BONDI AS NEW AG NOMINEE... Trump Announces New Attorney General After Gaetz Withdrawal President-elect Donald Trump tapped former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his pick for U.S. attorney general on Thursday. In the announcement posted on Truth Social, Trump praised Bondi’s work against “the trafficking of deadly drugs.” Trump’s selection came just hours after Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration.

Books short fiction Five SFF Stories Featuring Plants and Gardens Green and growing things have their own kinds of magic… By Ratika Deshpande | Published on November 22, 2024 Image: Zen Garden (cropped) by Thomas Nordwest (Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0) Comment 0 Share New Share Image: Zen Garden (cropped) by Thomas Nordwest (Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0) Plants have so much potential for magic and manipulation. How can one not be inspired by blooming flowers, creeping vines, dark forests, and the miracle of “food literally growing out of the ground,” as Tumblr user pointnclick says? While there may not exist any sorcerers in the real world, there are quite a lot of people with green thumbs who only need a bit of water and soil to make magic happen. Here are some stories exploring the possibilities that can come about through a love of plants, gardens, and gardening… “Garden of the Gods” by Anna Madden Our narrator, a sphinx, is stuck, bound to the garden where she receives questing mortals in search of boons—fools she kills and notes in her ledger when they fail to answer her riddles correctly. Tired of her duties, she dreads the arrival of those whose names will be added next. When “a man of no distinction” shows up, she prepares herself, but he presents her with questions of his own, questions that make her reconsider her purpose and her bondage to the garden. A gentle, beautiful story. “The Gangs of Gnome Jersey” by A.E. Decker Chris, the “the world’s only hitman of the supernatural,” comes home one day to find his lovely garden’s facade ruined by the presence of a gnome—the kitschy kind you can find for cheap at a supermarket. He dismisses it as a prank by a neighbour, chuckling that “Petey” can stay. The next morning, Chris finds Petey accompanied by a friend. That’s one garden gnome too many for his liking—that is, until even more show up. Chris has had enough of fun and games; who wants to mess with him by spending all this time, money, and effort for a simple prank? They’re ruining his garden! Fortunately for him, the gnomes have the answer to Chris’ question—and an offer. “Green Thumb” by Jill Baguchinsky Olivia and Emily are trying to survive the twelfth pandemic of the century. This latest one passed from humans to plants, transforming each species into sharper, stronger, deadlier versions. Almost everything and everyone is gone now. Fortunately, the oranges from a grove near Liv and Em’s place are still edible, although harvesting them requires planning a run in advance and involves much risk.  On one of these runs, Em, the one with the green thumb, brings home a secret—a little succulent she found responding to her with joy rather than with venom. She knows Liv wouldn’t like it, but Liv wasn’t the one who had a vegetable garden and a collection of pet plants before the pandemic hit. Em knows plants better—and she’s confident she’s found something that will turn out, for once, to not kill anyone. If only she can keep the secret from Liv long enough to find out. “Growing Resistance” by Juliet Kemp Sometimes, magic comes not from the plants but from the person who tends to them, no matter how bleak the circumstances. Oak has been growing a little garden outside the wall surrounding the city—the wall was originally constructed to keep the plague out but is now shutting out those who weren’t lucky enough to get the vaccine, those who couldn’t afford to buy themselves safety, and might cause trouble. This little garden, the food and the medicines that Oak makes provide support to the resistance movement in the undercity, where a group is planning to draw the attention of the people inside to the plight of those outside. Oak operates behind the scenes, still haunted by past trauma, and by constant guilt and shame, thinking that there’s more he could do than simply working with plants and medicines. When an opportunity shows up, will he take it?   “Blood, Bone, and Water” by Ash Huang Huang’s wonderful little story starts off like a fairy tale, with knights conspiring together to defeat a large rose bush that covers a castle said to be filled with riches—but then takes the reader through time to a new place and perspective. Huang experiments with chronology, causing the reader to reconsider how we perceive and think about the natural world around us. [end-mark] The post Five SFF Stories Featuring Plants and Gardens appeared first on Reactor.

America’s most famous fast-food fan may be an unlikely candidate to make America healthy again, but President Donald Trump seems willing to tackle the eating habits that have led to skyrocketing rates of obesity. The junk food industry is not lovin’ it. RealClearInvestigations has learned that representatives of companies that make snack foods, sugary beverages, and cooking oils are already meeting to discuss how to thwart the reform agenda of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the former consumer rights attorney Trump has said he will nominate to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Their response provides an early example of what experts predict will be a massive effort by Washington, D.C., lobbyists to position their clients in response to Trump’s pledge to change how Washington does business. Although much of the early criticism of Kennedy’s nomination has focused on his skepticism regarding some vaccines, the nominee is a longtime critic of the food industry, which he says is a leading contributor to America’s obesity epidemic. In recent months, he has called for a crackdown on food additives, limits on certain crop protection chemicals, stronger guidelines regarding what he says are conflicts of interest among regulators and business, and a review of any substance causing, what he argues, Americans to be “mass poisoned by big pharma and big food.” Kennedy’s nomination sets up what may turn out to be the biggest reversal between the first Trump administration and the second. The last time around, Trump’s appointees, acting in deference to traditional business interests, moved to reverse regulations on neurotoxic insecticides and added delays to updates for school lunch nutritional standards.  In videos that have gone viral this year, Kennedy has singled out ultra-processed food as a priority for what Kennedy has called his “Make America Healthy Again,” or MAHA, agenda. In one video devoted to the potential dangers of Yellow 5 food dye, Kennedy stands before a table with Doritos chips and Cap’n Crunch cereal and claims the ingredients used in such products are one reason more than 40% of American adults are classified as obese by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The dye, also known as tartrazine, has been linked to behavioral problems in children and other health risks. The European Union requires child warning labels for products with tartrazine.  Kennedy has made similar arguments about the widespread use of seed oils—including those from corn, soybeans, sunflowers, and peanuts—especially in highly processed foods. Research suggests that high levels of seed oils, rich in polyunsaturated fat, can cause inflammation. America’s overreliance on seed oils in fast food and snack products, Kennedy claims, is a major overlooked factor in the health crisis.  Food industry leaders began sounding the alarm even before the election. In October, Invariant, a powerful government relations firm that advises many food companies on how to shape policies in Washington, D.C., warned clients of Kennedy’s growing sway over Trump and the Republican Party. “Increasing number of voices on the right target the food industry,” an October memo stated, which went out to clients that include McDonald’s and America’s largest candy makers. The lobbyists warned that Kennedy’s MAHA movement “had gained increasing momentum among conservative figures who have taken a more vocal interest in the way food is produced and regulated.” Those initial alarm bells have become a siren among snack food makers and agribusiness representatives, according to records obtained by RealClearInvestigations. Last Friday, lobbyists for major processed food producers huddled over Zoom to discuss the rise of MAHA and how best to handle Kennedy’s recently announced nomination. Danielle Beck, a participant on the call who represents PepsiCo, makers of Doritos and Cap’n Crunch, and the Corn Refiners Association, a trade group for the largest producers of corn-based seed oils, noted that Congress could limit Kennedy’s abilities.  The “traditional agriculture and food stakeholders,” Beck noted, “might look to leverage, you know, the appropriations process” to curb what Kennedy is allowed to “initiate or implement.” Congressional appropriators often use the annual funding process to limit federal authorities. In 2010, under sway from industry sources, the House Appropriations Committee inserted a provision into federal funding that forced tomato paste on frozen pizzas to be counted as a vegetable under dietary regulations.  The lobbyists noted that Kennedy’s lengthy set of demands could also be exploited to stymie his overall agenda. “If RFK Jr. is focused on twenty different things, chances of success are likely limited,” observed Ken Barbic, another Invariant lobbyist representing processed foods firms and farming interests. Invariant, though founded by Heather Podesta, a prominent Democratic fundraiser, boasts bipartisan influence. Barbic, for instance, served during the first Trump administration in the Department of Agriculture and the firm employs a number of former GOP aides.  The Senate confirmation process, the lobbyists added, could be another process through which industry may shape the MAHA list of priorities. As Kennedy meets with individual senators, Beck noted, “serious conversations and commitments can be made to secure those votes that might end up resulting in some shifts in RFK’s overall agenda.” In other words, in order to line up more than 50 votes in the Senate, the lobbyists suggest Kennedy may be convinced to trade away some of his MAHA demands.  Similar strategy sessions have percolated across Washington Beltway lobbying shops representing food, beverage, and drug industries. The American Farm Bureau, which represents pesticide companies and farming interests, recently said it was working to “combat misinformation that has been spread by several sources including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding critical crop protection tools and agricultural practices.”  The Consumer Brands Association, which represents Kellogg, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, General Mills, and other processed foods firms, has also met with lawmakers, preparing for a fight over MAHA agenda items, according to a report from Politico. Other Kennedy proposals could spark a ferocious backlash from corporate America, particularly his suggestion that the U.S. fall in line with most of the industrialized world and ban direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising. Drug firms spend more than $1 billion per year on television spots. Shutting off the gusher of ad dollars would likely mobilize stark opposition from media conglomerates and the drug lobby.  But it is RFK’s ideas around wellness and nutrition that have percolated most with the new Trump coalition. The farm and processed food lobby must contend with a sea change within the Republican Party, which now relies on populist vigor increasingly receptive to the idea of reforming the way American food is produced and sold. In September, Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, led a roundtable discussion with popular food industry critics. During the hearing, the stars of this nascent movement, including Dr. Casey Means and her brother Calley Means, food blogger Vani Hari, and author Max Lugavere, took turns at the microphone to pin the blame for America’s poor health mainly on the influence of processed food companies.  Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a Kennedy ally, was scheduled to host a similar roundtable but had to cancel at the last minute due to Hurricane Helene flooding in North Carolina. Such rhetoric suggests a political realignment on food and wellness issues. Bernie Sanders, perhaps the Senate’s most liberal lawmaker, has held a series of hearings on chronic disease, focusing on the influence of corporate actors, and departing Biden administration officials have called for an overhaul of the dietary guidelines. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to provide a new definition of the “healthy ” food label with stronger limits on saturated fats, sodium, and added sugars, a proposal that might find continuity under a Kennedy-controlled agency. Kennedy himself is a former Democrat-turned-independent who was briefly floated as the Environmental Protection Agency chief for President Barack Obama in 2008. He has worked on several successful litigation efforts that have challenged the safety of widely used chemicals. Kennedy was part of the team that challenged glyphosate, sold as Roundup, over its links to cancer, a case that led to a $290 million verdict for the plaintiffs.   While such regulatory interventions were once the province of the Left, the MAHA movement capitalizes on a shift in media consumption by those in the Trump orbit.  Joe Rogan, the most popular podcaster in the country, has emphasized the dangers posed by high fructose corn syrup, seed oils, and sugary, processed foods. He has hosted many of the most vocal activists aligned with the MAHA movement, including the Means siblings.  “I love this idea of you teaming up with Robert Kennedy, and I love this ‘Make America Healthy Again’ idea,” said Rogan during his sit-down with Trump during the campaign, which garnered over 50 million views on YouTube.  “There are chemicals and ingredients in our food that are illegal in other countries because they’ve been shown to be toxic,” Rogan added during the interview.  Trump, in response, pledged to give Kennedy wide latitude over health policy, though he said he disagreed with his views on energy and the environment. In the past, Kennedy has opposed expanded oil and natural gas fracking and previously supported a moratorium on new nuclear energy—priorities of the new administration. Yet Kennedy’s focus on health taps into a rich vein of new populist energy that defies easy ideological definition. The outreach to podcasters and wellness influencers has been credited with helping Trump secure the young male vote, which swung away from Democrats by nearly 30 percentage points. It is a dynamic agribusiness interests have noticed. The Invariant team credited the rise of RFK’s influence to the growing prominence of podcasts and independent media.  “Trump appeared on more than 35 different podcasts,” noted Jenny Werwa, a strategic communications consultant with Invariant. When seeking influence with policymakers, the food and beverage industry typically focuses advertising dollars on insider Beltway media, such as Politico and Punchbowl News, added Werwa during the call with clients last Friday. Instead, she suggested, the industry should “think about how you might be able to partner with nontraditional media for content,” adding that Rogan and certain independent Substack publishers should be considered moving forward.  Consumer brands generally seek to avoid public engagement in politics, typically working through third parties and industry groups.  Invariant is one of many lobbying firms in the middle of the conflict. The firm not only represents highly processed snack producers, corn refiners, and fast food establishments like McDonald’s, but also Campbell Soup, McCain Foods, and the American Beverage Association, the lobby group for sugary sodas. The lobbyists at the firm shared a memo outlining additional steps. Clients in the “food and agriculture space need to continue both defensive efforts—including legislative and regulatory efforts—while also considering offensive approaches that engage positively in the broader health focused debate.” The offensive approaches, however, are yet to be seen.  In the meantime, food industry giants might also hang some hope on the influence and taste of Kennedy’s boss. In a viral postelection photo, Trump is shown having dinner on his private plane with his son Don Jr., Kennedy, and Elon Musk. The menu: Big Macs and fries. Originally published by RealClearWire. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Food Lobbyists Plot to Have It Their Way With RFK Jr. appeared first on The Daily Signal.

President-elect Donald Trump is now picking his cabinet and appointing key executive officers. Nowhere will these picks be more important than in keeping his promise to the American people to secure the border and reestablish the rule of law in immigration matters. Many Americans have heard of Alexander the Great, the Macedonian warrior-king who conquered the ancient world before dying at only 32. But few have heard of his generals, without whom he would never have succeeded. Ptolemy founded the Egyptian dynasty that ended with the famous Cleopatra, baby-momma to Julius Caesar. Seleucus founded the city of Seleucia and his very own dynasty. Like Alexander, successful American presidents need excellent and committed “generals” to fulfill their visions. A United States president gets to pick a few thousand appointees to carry out the policies on which he was elected. For the early presidents, exerting control over the federal government was easy. With under 6,000 employees in the 1800s, even the head of the staunchly small government organization Americans for Tax Reform, Grover Norquist, would have been satisfied with the relatively small size of the federal government. But starting with the Civil War, through two World Wars, a Great Depression, the New Deal, and the Great Society of the 1960s, the federal government has grown massively in personnel, scope, and power. There are now over 2 million civilians in the federal government, and 82,000 were added last year alone. At the same time, the executive branch of the federal government has grown less maneuverable by, and accountable to, the president. That makes the political picks even more vital. One thing Trump will need is a string of competent ambassadors stretching from Mexico through South America, along the route illegal immigrants from all over the world now take to get into the United States. The U.S. Ambassador to Mexico will be the most important of these. He or she will need to convince a reluctant, leftist Mexican government that it is in its best interest to prevent illegal migration flowing from Mexico’s southern borders to ours. One powerful tool our new envoy can use is the 2026 review and renewal of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. Cooperation among our nations to prevent mass illegal migration must be a top U.S. goal in these discussions. Trump will also need ambassadors, especially in Central and South America who can convince both our friends and our adversaries to take back their nationals who will have been ordered deported from the U.S. Every lever must be used to get countries to do what the U.S. does—accept the return of all their citizens, on demand, with no conditions. To direct his enforcement agenda, Trump has named Tom Homan (who is also a Heritage Foundation visiting fellow) as his “border czar.” Homan has the right background and commitment to manage the effort. Starting as a Border Patrol agent and ending as Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, no one knows more than Homan about the problems—and solutions—to the chaos President Joe Biden unleashed on the southern border. He is respected, from the incoming president down to the field agents, as a man who gets things done. But it is Department of Homeland Security staff who will do the work both at the border and with interior enforcement. Kristi Noem, Trump’s nominee for secretary of homeland security, will have the misfortune to follow Alejandro Mayorkas, who I’ve argued has done more harm to U.S. national security than any appointed official in our history. Noem, a former member of Congress and current governor of South Dakota, supported tough action for immigration security in Trump’s first term, resisted federal attempts to foist released illegal aliens on her state, and sent National Guard soldiers to help Texas control the border when the federal authorities were absent. Rather than look upon Mayorkas’ rotten works and despair, to paraphrase Shelley, Noem has to get on with the Herculean task of managing a massive bureaucracy that includes three agencies that were merged into DHS from the former Immigration and Naturalization Service: Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Noem has a tough job ahead and needs a competent, dedicated staff. Biden peppered his DHS with pro-illegal immigration or anti-enforcement ideologues from the activist nongovernmental organization world. One Biden Citizenship and Immigration Services official wanted to abolish ICE. Vice President Harris wanted to cut ICE funding, “critically reexamine” it, and “think about starting from scratch.” A senior ICE appointee was reportedly more interested in helping illegal immigrants than detaining them and was allegedly involved in questionable contracts for migrant services which enriched former colleagues, according to a congressional investigation. And among some of the worker bees in the Biden White House, the social media hashtag #Abolish ICE seems as popular as Free Palestine. Rather than concentrate on enforcing the law, Biden’s key staff tried to evade it, ignore it, or subvert it in pursuit of their agenda. That agenda was, in brief, to merge legal and illegal immigration by declaring all unlawful aliens “noncitizens” and “asylum-seekers” and creating bogus “lawful pathways” for them to get into the U.S. and give them work authorizations—contrary to congressional authority or intent—knowing so many would be difficult to remove. Now, thanks to Biden’s parole and catch-and-release of unknown, unvetted aliens, thousands of Americans have been victims of preventable crimes. Thanks to his handpicked team, the Ibarra brothers were let loose on Americans, and one of them was just convicted of the brutal murder of Laken Riley. They are just a couple of the thousands of associates of Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua who are causing havoc from Texas to Montana. As Trump’s cabinet and executive branch shape up, we need to ignore the Left’s intended distraction over a few contentious appointees—which will eventually work out one way or the other—and let him select his people as the Constitution provides. Then we can judge them on their performance. Trump deserves a leadership team that will effectuate his mandate, and in turn, that team deserves a federal bureaucracy that will do its job. Any career civil servants who contemplate protesting in public or via social media, creating red-tape resistance, or making subtle attempts to spike the president’s agenda should remember their sworn oaths to protect and defend the Constitution. They followed orders in assisting the Biden-Harris team to open the borders and eliminate most consequences for law breakers. Now, these public servants must with equal alacrity follow orders to undo that damage and restore the rule of law. The BorderLine is a weekly Daily Signal feature examining everything from the unprecedented illegal immigration crisis at the border to immigration’s impact on cities and states throughout the land. We will also shed light on other critical border-related issues such as human trafficking, drug smuggling, terrorism, and more. Read Other BorderLine Columns: To Have a Serious Talk About Immigration, You’ve Got to First Debunk the Myths The Mass Hysteria Over Deportation What Would Harris and Trump Do Differently on Immigration? My Job Was Getting Countries to Take Back Their Criminal Illegal Aliens. Under Biden-Harris, I’d Be Unemployed Biden Administration Gives Panama ‘Jack’ to Help Control Border The post How Trump Reverses the Destruction Biden’s Pro-Illegal Immigration Ideologues Wrought: The BorderLine appeared first on The Daily Signal.

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