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Her gleeful cruelty was matched only by the audacity of her incompetence.

Packaged in cosplay costumes — cowgirl, solider, even firefighter and pilot — we were supposed to see her as strong. But far from the mother of dragons she seems to envision herself as, she came across as the killer of Cricket (poor pup), a childish narcissist in a deadly serious job.

It was so over the top, you don’t even need a name. You know who I’m talking about. So there’s little wonder that when President Trump dumped Kristi Noem as the head of Homeland Security this week, much of America — even a bipartisan slice, I dare say — reacted much like the residents of Oz when the house landed on the wicked witch.

From late-night talk shows to the halls of power, there was more than a bit of celebration, and some actually reasonable schadenfreude. Normally, the misfortune of others isn’t something I pile on, but oh, did that woman earn some scorn.

But while I’m not one to discourage a moment of joy in these troubling days, Noem’s unceremonious firing and what comes next likely won’t provide the relief and reset many are hoping for — or are claiming this is. For all the chaos and pain that federal agents from various departments have caused under Noem’s leadership, there’s every reason to believe Trump has plans to continue and even expand his deportation efforts, and maybe even use these poorly trained, poorly vetted troops to impose his will on the next election.

What we are witnessing, rather than any acknowledgment of policy gone awry, is spotlight envy from a petty president who doesn’t like to share attention, and a backroom concession that maybe optics do matter when you’re attempting to cram white nationalism onto a pluralist country.

It was, according to Fox News and other media, a claim under oath that Trump authorized Noem to spend more than $200 million on commercials promoting herself instead of him that got her canned. Pointing to just how deeply unpopular Noem made herself even within the Trump-verse, this death knell came courtesy of a set-up by a GOP senator, John Kennedy (R-La.), who walked Noem to her own demise with awe-inspiring political skill.

After forcing Noem to claim on the record multiple times that Trump knew about and approved the mega-spend on Noem’s ludicrously over-produced ads (while also raising questions about the contract and who benefited), Kennedy — almost certainly knowing Trump would see it — laid this dig on her with dripping Southern knife-in-the-back charm.

“To me, it puts the president in a terribly awkward spot,” Kennedy drawled, likely implanting grievance directly into the president’s brain. “I’m not saying you’re not telling the truth. It’s just hard for me to believe, knowing the president as I do, that you said, ‘Mr. President, here’s some ads I’ve cut, and I’m going to spend $220 million … running them,’ that he would have agreed to that.”

Soon after, Trump posted on social media that Noem was out. I bring this up because it wasn’t, after all, the substance of Noem’s actions that ultimately got her fired. In that same hearing on Capitol Hill, Democrats blasted Noem for the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis and her subsequent false portrayal of them as domestic terrorists; the conditions inside our ever-expanding network of detention centers that have led to deaths; and even her mile-high airplane bedroom where she may or may not be conducting an extramarital affair.

None of that seems to have bothered Trump. It was her self-promotion. And it was that same self-promotion, the constant demanding of attention, that likely also ultimately convinced those around Trump to dump her — because it was adding to the deep unpopularity of immigration roundups that have been dragging down Trump’s approval ratings and which therefore could hurt the midterm chances of down-ballot Trumpers.

Last month, a Quinnipiac poll found that 58% of voters wanted Noem removed, and almost 60% of voters disapproved of Trump’s immigration policies.

Noem was the public face of that disapproval, strutting forward with arrogance in the face of public censure, a veritable clown show of ineptitude. With her ouster, and the possible replacement by another Trump stalwart, Oklahoma first-term Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Trump removes the most visible and annoying sign of the unpopularity of his policies.

While pugnacious (he’s a former MMA fighter) and happy to create his own questionable headlines, Mullin is also far more low-key than Noem, and knows who the spotlight belongs to. He is almost certain to put a more palatable face on deportations and detentions (for some anyway) simply by not being so thirsty for press. A low bar, but there you have it.

But Mullin has made it clear that he backs the most extreme immigration policies Trump world can offer, and has little difference of opinion from Stephen Miller, the architect of this bleak moment, who seems to be running things slightly off screen.

The risk now is that Mullin can continue these policies, even expand them, with less scrutiny simply because he’s less offensive than Noem. Detention centers are being built at breakneck speed. In Arizona, ICE has begun charging legal immigrants with a Cold War-era law if they don’t carry their papers with them at all times. The Department of Justice is gutting the ability to appeal deportations, in an effort to hasten them without recourse. Nothing is changing — except the speed and force with which ICE is moving forward.

And Trump has doubled down on claims that illegal immigrants are responsible for massive voter fraud, laying the groundwork for some sort of intervention in the upcoming election. Election deniers have been installed in key positions — Mullin himself is one of them.

So far from a reset, Noem’s removal is a retrenching — an effort to remove our focus from the deeply troubling link between immigration policy and the threat to democracy while actually grinding forward on that dark path.

Because Noem was a train wreck we couldn’t help but watch, at a moment when the government would prefer we stop looking.

SHE was the biggest pop star of the 80s yet looks younger now than when she shot to fame.

Fans are baffled by how youthful Taylor Dayne looks at 63 years of age.

Taking to her Instagram page this week, the stunning singer who shot to fame with her beloved single Tell It To My Heart, looked half her age as she posed in a raunchy outfit.

“I had such a fabulous time on stage in Seattle last night! What a great start to my weekend of performances,” she penned in the caption of the post.

In the slew of snaps she shared, Taylor looked so youthful with clear, smooth skin and a tiny waist.

One person commented, “Forever beauty.”

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Another swooned, “THE MOST GORGEOUS HUMAN.”

“Goddess,” added a third, while a fourth gushed, “Icon.”

“Wow. She looks amazing! Good for her,” penned a fifth.

And a sixth said, “Not aged a bit.”

Meanwhile, others were left baffled by just how ageless she looks.

“I’m confused. You look so different here,” said one.

“Too many filters. You don’t need them….” added a second.

While a third penned, “This is not Taylor Dayne. Looks nothing like her.”

And a fourth said, “Why does she look like Beyonce?”

Taylor is a singer, songwriter, and actress who became a pop icon in the late 1980s.

She is known for her powerful and strong vocals, and rose to fame with her debut single Tell It to My Heart.

Across her glowing career she has sold 75 million albums and singles worldwide.

She has a slew of shows throughout the year, with her set to take to the stage next in April.

The singing sensation grew up in New York and has never been married.

She has two children who were born via surrogate in 2003.

WHEN it comes to having A-list siblings, these two nepo-sisters are at the top of their game.

The two women, who both have popstars for sisters, looked incredible as they stepped into their spotlight at London Fashion Week – but can you guess who they are related to?

The nepo-sisters in question are Rita Ora‘s sister Elena, 37, and Dua Lipa‘s little sis Rina, 24,

The pair were spotted posing for the cameras at London Fashion Week.

Dua’s sister Rina looked chic in white trousers and a striking turquoise jacket.

The aspiring model was spotted at the after party for the Burberry 2026 show.

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Meanwhile, Rita’s big sister Elena looked stunning in a black cut-away dress at the Royal Ascot Millinery Collective, which was held at posh hotel, Claridge’s.

At another London Fashion Week event earlier in the week, she looked equally incredible in a black and gold dress.

Elena works as Rita’s talent manager, creative director, and business partner.

The pair are extremely close, and the popstar involves her big sister in every aspect of her life.

Rita was just a year old when her parents moved her and three-year-old Elena to the UK to escape persecution in Kosovo.

But the pair have gone onto become a sibling powerhouse.

Rita has had Elena by her side since she shot to fame in 2012.

Elena previously said that her little sister’s success is a “team celebration” for both of them, as she has been such a big part of her fame.

“I get as proud of the success as Rita does. But I guess the public only sees her reaction to it,” Elena told Idris and Sabrina Elba on the Coupledom podcast, when she chatted to them in 2021 with Rita.

“It feels like a team thing. Obviously the public just sees Rita, but to us that’s just how it is, you know?”

Rita added: “Elena is really good at protecting me. I think that is so important in this industry.”

Together the sisters have negotiated movie roles, fashion brand deals and lucrative TV contracts.

But the sisters admitted on the podcast that there has often been a battle for Elena to be taken seriously.

“It’s really tough in such a male dominated industry to really stand up for yourselves and navigate this s**t,” Rita candidly admitted.

“What do they expect people in power to look like? There’s not an identity.”

Continuing, proud sister Rita said of Elena:“But she’s never lost her cool. She’s always kept it very together.” Rita says she has always had the same trusted people around her in her career.

“I try to keep my team very small. I don’t really like change. That’s why I’ve had the same team for over 10 years. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”

The star siblings also thrilled fans in 2023 when they appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox together, with fans hailing them “the most beautiful sisters”.

Meanwhile, Dua Lipa‘s sister Rina is forging a career as a model

The rising star has done well for herself and has already worked with fashion houses like Miu Miu and Versace.

The model has also walked the runway at the prestigious Milan Fashion Week.

Rina has also set her sights on becoming an actress.

Speaking about going on auditions, she told Nylon: “There’s something about walking into the room and saying, ‘Hi, nice to meet you,’ and having that energy and that aura and that little repertoire between people.

“You can leave feeling like you had a connection if you walk in and you’re a bit bubbly and you are happy to be there. I’m really happy to do really fun auditions. Even if I don’t get the job, that’s absolutely fine.”

Rina got her first taste of fame when her big sister pulled her and their younger brother Gjin up on stage at the Brit Awards.

It came in 2018, when the singer won the Best Female Solo Artist gong and invited her siblings to join her accepting the award,

Speaking to Off Set about the sweet moment, Dua said: “I didn’t even know what I was gonna say onstage and I was like, ‘Come with me! You two — with me.

“They were so terrified. When we got offstage, my little brother and sister were like, ‘Why did you do that to us?’ ”

“They were like, ‘We love you, but that’s crazy. Don’t do that one again.;”