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The Daily Beast
Jan 01, 2050

John McCain, A Life in Photos
Chip Somodevilla/Getty

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The Daily Beast
Jan 01, 2050

John McCain, American Hero, Dies at 81
Kevin Lamarque/ReutersJohn S. McCain III, an American hero who served as a Navy captain and a member of Congress for 57 years, died on TKTKTK DAY. He was 81.

McCain was a giant of the United States Senate and a lifelong public servant who won respect and admiration from his colleagues on Capitol Hill and world leaders for his staunch advocacy of democratic principles and his defiant policy positions, particularly on issues relating to the military and national security.

He was a tough and, at times, feisty and brash legislator, but he forged friendships and bonds that cemented his place in history as a dealmaker. His political opponents sometimes branded him a war-monger and a reactionary at worst but never doubted his unwavering adherence to his principles, his tireless support for American troops, and his enduring commitment to public service.

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The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Barr: Trump Brought Up ‘Things Like' Executing Rivals a Lot
CNNBill Barr, Donald Trump's former attorney general who once said that voting for the indicted ex-president would be "playing Russian roulette with the country," stood by his decision to vote for Trump in November while also suggesting that Trump used to regularly float the idea of executing his political rivals while in office.

Barr made the nonchalant admission Friday during a CNN interview when anchor Kaitlan Collins mentioned former Trump White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin claiming that Barr was present in the summer of 2020 when Trump suggested that an unknown White House leaker should be executed.

"I remember him being very mad about that. I actually don't remember him saying ‘executing,' but I wouldn‘t dispute it, you know… The president would lose his temper and say things like that. I doubt he would've actually carried it out," Barr said.

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The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

TikTok's Latest Wellness Trend: Starving Yourself in the Name of K-Pop
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty ImagesPastel pink and soft vignette filters, images featuring thin girls with long eyelashes, and good grades and skincare products: These are all manifestations in the world of "Wonyoungism," a wellness trend growing rapidly online among K-pop fans that, amidst the milky images of bows and strawberries, has faced criticism for promoting eating disorders.

The term Wonyoungism itself derives from the K-pop idol Jang Wonyoung, a member of the girl group IVE. At 19 years old, Jang boasts more than 11 million followers on Instagram, and has become something of a platonic ideal for fans online. Wonyoung is confident, smart, pretty, sophisticated, according to those following her; so much so that she has evolved past a typical example of celebrity idolatry and into a theology unto herself. Using phrases like "The Wonyoung Effect" and "Wonyoung Motivation," evangelical fans online promote a message of self-improvement centered around the singer, telling each other that by making specific lifestyle changes, they can look and, more importantly, feel as seemingly confident as Jang.

The trend's first boom happened last year, after an audio clip from an interview with Jang went viral. "I don't care—you are you, I am me," she says, a message that drives home two

The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

‘Coyote vs. Acme' Foreshadows Hollywood's Very Depressing Future
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty Images/Everett CollectionAccording to its own self-mythology, the entertainment industry is something far grander, more poetic and noble, than just a titanic money-maker. Our beloved movies and TV shows—Hollywood's "products," if we must call them that—are the sum of our cultural imagination, collective dreams that mesmerize and inspire.

Unfortunately, that sentiment rarely seems to last when studios start looking at their balance sheets. Just ask the filmmakers behind Coyote vs. Acme.

Last November, The Wrap and Rolling Stone reported that Warner Bros. Discovery planned to shelf Coyote vs. Acme—a live action/animated comedy starring Will Forte and the Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote—in exchange for a tax write-off. Days later, The Wrap claimed that, thanks to public outcry, the studio had changed its tune and invited the filmmakers to shop their project around to potential buyers. By February, however, the same publication reported that the company wanted $75-$80 million for the film and had rejected "handsome" offers from companies

The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

This Was the End of Coachella—As We Knew It
Photo Illustration by Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty Images"Bro, I already saw Tyler at Flog Gnaw," said a guy dressed in a flowery button-down to his friend, also in a flowery button-down. Tyler, the Creator, who put on his own festival at Dodger Stadium last fall, burst through a wall, kicking off his Coachella headlining set with the buzzing bass of "IGOR'S THEME." But by the time I met up with my friend in the crowd, the pair had already left to see Dom Dolla, the DJ playing at the Sahara stage.

In a way, my friends-in-floral summarized what many, including myself, hypothesized during the lead up to this year's fest. My doubts were never about whether Coachella would provide festival goers with exceptional music or a weekend of sweaty, sunny, sand-filled fun. My concerns were about whether this festival would matter as much as it had before.

Even with a lineup of EDM rarities, ‘90s nostalgia reunions, rising pop stars, and artists from around the globe, Coachella lost a little luster without a shocking, triumphant headliner. Rumors of low ticket sales called the festival's status into question. Headliners don't shape the attendees' day-to-day experience, but they do give Coachella its ubiquity and induce FOMO outside the desert. On a personal level, I, like the majority of the attendees, had a blast (Favorite sets: Militarie Gun, Chappell Roan, Tyler, the Creator, and Justice). But at the same time, it was the end of Coachella's influence in the larger music culture.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Capitol Riot Cop Now Running Jan. 6-Themed Security Company
ANDREW HARNIKThe retired cop who became the face of D.C. Metropolitan Police brutalized at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 has launched a private security business with a name evoking the attack—and is already providing services to a campaign of the congressman who helped spearhead the subsequent impeachment of President Donald Trump, as well as "major political organizations," the pol told The Daily Beast.

Federal Election Commission records show the campaign of Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) paid nearly $50,000 between August and February to Lower West Terrace LLC, a venture launched by Officer Michael Fanone and bearing the name of the entrance he defended on the infamous vote certification date.

As one of the managers of the second Trump impeachment trial, Swalwell committed to the congressional record Fanone's account of the injuries he sustained during the election deniers' bloody assault on the seat of government: Trump supporters swarmed him on the lower west terrace, tased him until he suffered cardiac arrest, and pummeled him into unconsciousness.

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The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

‘Tender Trump' Puts on a Show for the Jury
Jeenah Moon/Pool via Reuters Donald Trump knows how to play to the audience, whether it's the deluded millions of his MAGA base or the jurors in the first criminal trial of a former president.

That was clear on Friday when Trump seized a moment in his criminal trial to seemingly comfort a witness—his still-loyal ex-assistant Rhona Graff.

The jury had just finished listening to supermarket tabloid sleaze David Pecker testify about what prosecutors say was a criminal conspiracy to influence the 2016 election by paying hush money to kill potentially damaging stories about Trump.

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The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

The ‘Mary & George' Sex Romp Ends With a (Literally) Buried Heart
StarzAs much fun as Mary & George can be, what with all of Julianne Moore's plotting and perversion as the devious Mary Villiers, it surprises when it reminds us that a soul is lurking somewhere beneath all of the show's delectable lechery. After a bout of orgies and murder in last week's episode, the limited series returns tonight with an installment that's slightly more tempered, though no less packed with sex and manslaughter—you've got to give the people what they want! Episode 4 sees the show continuing to operate at a level higher than contemporary series ever reach. It's a deftly written, droll chapter in the life of Mary and her second-born son George (Nicholas Galitzine), one that pushes the show past its halfway point, but still promises plenty more action to come.

Episode 4 opens in 1617, just before the show's normal timeline, with two lowly gravediggers in Scotland tasked to dig up something from an unmarked grave. The men unearth a human heart below the soil, and, shocked, wonder what kind of demented man this organ has been passed down from. The episode makes no secret of that, cutting immediately to a sight of King James I (Tony Curran) and George in the king's bed, naked. Why James is preoccupied with getting his hands on someone else's ventricles and vessels we don't yet know, but a bare heart resting six feet underground doesn't bode well f

The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

The Man Vs. Bear Conundrum Sparking Viral Meltdowns
Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily BeastTo the women of the world, I—and many people on TikTok—have a question for you: Would you rather be left in the woods with a man you don't know, or a bear?

It's an absurd question on the surface. Of course you'd rather be in the woods with a human being rather than a large beastly animal with terrifying teeth and claws that could maul and maim you. At best it could kill you instantly. At worst, it would be a prolonged death a la Grizzly Man, slowly being eaten alive.

Bears don't always stop to kill their prey before they start consuming them, either. Absolutely, no thank you.

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The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

The Taylor Swift Meme Making Me Run Screaming From Twitter
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty Images/XThis week:I'm Heading to the AsylumThe only thing worse than a meme that completely floods your social media timeline is not understanding what in god's name the meme means. As a burgeoning Old Person, this has become a frustratingly common occurrence. So in between refilling my acid reflux prescription and icing my sore knees, I finally broke down and googled the provenance of the meme that had been assaulting me all week, and now I'm more annoyed than I was when I was just blissfully elderly, clueless, and out of touch.

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The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

How Much Will It Cost to Keep Rupert Murdoch Off the Stand?
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty ImagesThere's still life in the old dog yet. At the age of 93 Rupert Murdoch is about to marry for the fifth time. And there's no doubt what the best, and by far the most expensive, wedding present from his family would be: To shut down Prince Harry's litigation against Murdoch's British tabloids over their industrial-scale hacking.

This decades-old saga has already cost News Group Newspapers at least one billion pounds in settlements and legal costs. The next group of 45 cases, including Prince Harry's, are due to go to court next January.

Until now the Duke of Sussex has shown no sign of settling out of court. On the back of a huge settlement with the Daily Mirror's owners he still wanted to take the adversary he most despises all the way to a trial that would very likely have required Murdoch himself to face cross-examination alongside other top NGN executives.

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The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Nepo Baby of the Week: Leave Maya Rudolph Alone
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty ImagesMaya Rudolph didn't mean to make waves this week when she sat down with Dax Shepard for an episode of Armchair Expert, but alas, sometimes you don't choose The Discourse™. Sometimes it chooses you.

It all started almost an hour into the episode, when Rudolph and Shepard were talking about their families, the biz, and their respective approaches to their careers. It was then that Rudolph's famous family came up. Her mother was venerated soul singer Minnie Riperton, and her father is music producer Richard Rudolph. Riperton died in 1979 at the age of 31, when Maya was only 7 years old.

When Shepard noted that Rudolph seems to have a pretty healthy relationship with her career, she attributed part of that to how her parents raised her. In doing so, she accidentally ignited a nepo discourse that, frankly, seems pretty unfair.

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The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Every Single Important Detail of the ‘Challengers' Three-Way Kiss
Photo Illustration by Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/MGMApparently, it's not encouraged to shout, "Alright boys, pucker up!" at a movie theater screen during a packed showing of one of the most anticipated films of the year. God forbid anyone has a little bit of fun. You're telling me that no one else brought tubes of Blistex to throw at the screen during Challengers? What's next, I can't make loud smooching sounds when Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, and Mike Faist all gather in a hotel room, even when I've seen the movie's trailer 50 times and I know exactly what's about to happen? No, you grow up!

Just kidding, I would rather die than be caught dead disrupting a theater. Yet, Challengers has a way of thwarting even our most steadfast moral tenets, prompting audiences to act on impulse. My screening had plenty of gasping, hooting, and cheering as all three characters involved in a tennis-based love triangle wormed their way through each others' lives. There is so much seduction and subterfuge packed into the film that I found myself holding my breath as often as I did twirling my hair around my finger like a lovestruck schoolgirl with a secret crush. But part of Challengers' brilliance is that it lets no crush go secret for too long, and it's impossible to walk away from the movie without feeling like you just got a glimpse of something far more depr

The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Columbia University's Gaza Protests Spark Alumni Reunion Boycott
Spencer Platt/GettyPlans for alumni reunions at Columbia University are colliding with controversy, with some alumni planning to boycott over the continued protests against the war in Gaza on campus.

Debate raged in a Facebook group for members of the class of 1989 this week, with at least 10 people saying they would not attend their class's 35th reunion on campus.

A post declaring "I WILL NOT ATTEND REUNION!" and featuring an image of a star of David received 18 likes and more than 50 comments in less than 24 hours.

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The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Jerry Seinfeld Says He's Too Old to Do Another Stand-Up Special
Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty ImagesFans of comedian Jerry Seinfeld are going to have to stick to reruns, because the veteran comedian said his most recent comedy special will likely be his last.

In a podcast interview with David Remnick for the New Yorker Radio Hour, Seinfeld was brutally honest about the business and his own limitations as a comedian.

"I think comedians now try so hard to be all new all the time, I think the quality suffers because none of us are really that good," Seinfeld said. "A great comedian working his ass off his entire career writes two good hours, the rest is…," he trailed off.

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The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Fox Contributor Mocked for Claiming Showers ‘Are Terrible'
Fox News Fox News contributor and Washington Times opinion editor Charlie Hurt was back on The Five Friday with another weird take: Showers "are terrible," and not even farmers have to take them.

The discussion was centered around a New York Post story published Thursday that called attention to how some experts consider daily showers more of a social construct rooted out of the opinions of others than a personal necessity for one's skin. One environmentalist, for instance, told the BBC this week that showers are more popular than ever "because we're afraid somebody else will tell us that we're smelling."

The Post also cited a Manhattan dermatologist who warned that prolonged, daily showers could damage the "skin's microbiome," which not only protects the skin but is "extremely important in overall health of the body."

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The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Trump Tower: Take a Tour of the Saddest Building in NYC
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/GettyFor the duration of his criminal trial, Donald J. Trump has moved back into the penthouse of Trump Tower at the corner of 5th Avenue and 56th Street. With the owner and former president back in residence, you might think they'd spruce up the abutting commercial and retail space. You'd be wrong. The Daily Beast dropped in earlier this week for a tour of the "crown jewel of The Trump Organization."

FIFTH AVENUE ENTRANCE

Metal barriers take up half the sidewalk and serve two purposes: (1) to hold back crowds; and (2) to force people to cross the avenue if they want a selfie of themselves giving the finger to Trump Tower.

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The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Jury Foreman Shocked, Angry Weinstein Conviction Was Tossed
The Daily Beast/Courtesy of Bernard CodyThe court decision overturning Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction came as a shock to victims, activists—and the man who was the foreman of the jury that found him guilty.

"This decision is so unfair to the women that were hurt by [Weinstein]," Bernard Cody told The Daily Beast on Friday. "When our conviction happened, the women were so relieved it was over. And so were we. To take that away is awful."

Cody and his fellow jurors deliberated five days, reviewing four weeks worth of testimony and evidence, before finding Weinstein guilty in 2020. The former producer was then sentenced to 23 years for sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haleyi and raping former actress Jessica Mann.

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The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Can Trump Really Kill His Rival? The Supreme Court Says, Hmm
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty ImagesDonald Trump's presidency has served as a wake-up call that our Constitution and our laws were not designed to handle an authoritarian like him. And Thursday's Supreme Court hearing on presidential immunity was yet another reminder of that fact.

It's dangerous to try and divine the court's opinion based on oral arguments; however, the consensus seems to be heading in a direction that says that a president should be immune from prosecution over "official," but not private, acts. On the surface, this seems like a reasonable precedent. After all, we don't want a banana republic where former presidents are unfairly targeted for prosecution after they leave office.

Still, this foreboding thought remains: It is virtually impossible to untwine "official" acts from personal crimes. Someone like Trump can always lie about his motives.

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The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Utah ‘Karen' in Viral Video Is Charged With Sexual Battery
George Frey/Getty ImagesA woman in Utah who was dubbed a "Karen" after video of her losing it over a young woman wearing a miniskirt went viral has been charged with sexual battery in connection with the incident.

Ida Ann Lorenzo, 48, allegedly pulled down the woman's mini skirt as she complained that it was too small and threatened to call child protective services.

In a video with over 3 million views on TikTok, Lorenzo was filmed defending her decision to pull down the skirt, moments after the encounter in the lobby of the Sakura Japanese Steakhouse in St. George, Utah.

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The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Ritzy Hangout Cipriani Says It Got Duped by Its Own Staff
REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images For decades, the ritzy leisure and dining group Cipriani has attracted tabloid fixtures to its banquet halls, from Donald Trump to Taylor Swift, the Clintons, Kardashians, and Kennedys. But according to a new lawsuit, some of the real drama has played out within the company's own ranks.

The complaint, filed in New York Supreme Court on Thursday, alleges that Cipriani was duped by its own facilities director and one of his subordinates into paying thousands of false invoices to outside vendors.

The company's regional facilities director, Andrew Heaton, and facility assistant manager Franklin Palaquibay, received kickbacks for facilitating the false payments, the lawsuit asserts. In all, Cipriani says it paid at least $5 million to defendants Fulton Supply Hardware and Tek Mek Inc. "based on the fraudulent invoices."

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Noem Tries to Get ‘Politically Incorrect' Cred From Killing a Dog
Handout via Getty Images South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem appears to have confirmed that she killed a family puppy that infuriated her by being "untrainable," and she claims it only proves how "politically incorrect" she is.

The Republican governor and potential Trump 2024 running mate commented on the uproar over the violent anecdote with her own brief statement on X.

"We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm," she wrote. "Sadly, we just had to put down 3 horses a few weeks ago that had been in our family for 25 years."

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The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

‘Challengers' Was Like One Big, Sexy Quiet Luxury Ad (And We're Here for It)
Scouted/The Daily Beast/MGM/On.Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission.

Move over, Saltburn. There's a new movie about bodily fluids, bi-panic, and a group of painfully hot narcissists that has everyone in a chokehold right now. Unless you have been living under a rock (good for you, TBH), you've probably seen the many spicy posts on X about Challengers, the latest Luca Guadagnino film that opens in US theaters this week—or, as my friends have been calling it, "that horny Twilight throuple movie on gains."

No spoilers here, but suffice to say that there's a whole lot of yearning in this love triangle sports drama, a whole lot of tennis, and a whole lot of Zendaya—and her two male love interests—looking preppy and polished as hell on and off the court, courtesy of the film's costume designer Jonathan Anderson.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Harvey Weinstein to Appear in New York Court After Conviction Overturned
Etienne Laurent-Pool/Getty ImagesHarvey Weinstein is coming back to court.

The disgraced Hollywood producer is set to return to Manhattan Supreme Court next week, less than a week after the state's highest court overturned his 2020 rape conviction. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office confirmed to The Daily Beast he will appear Wednesday before Judge Curtis Farber—a different justice than the one who previously handled his case. In a 4-3 decision, the New York Court of Appeals ordered a new trial for Weinstein after his first one was prejudiced with improper rulings and witnesses that were not a part of the case.

Weinstein, who is currently housed in an upstate prison, is set to be transferred to a local jail to be closer to his legal team as they prepare for a new trial. His spokesperson previously told The Daily Beast that Weinstein's legal team is pushing for him to be housed at the Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward or the medical center at Rikers.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Where the Men Taken Down With Harvey by #MeToo Are Now
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty ImagesHarvey Weinstein, whose New York rape conviction was just overturned, may have been the biggest #MeToo villain. But there are plenty of other bold-faced names in that rogue's gallery. In the space of a couple of years, powerhouses of the entertainment, media, culinary, and political worlds would find themselves in disgrace as accusers came forward with stories of harassment, discrimination, and worse.

Despite this week's court ruling, Weinstein is still behind bars, serving 16-years for a Los Angeles rape conviction. Here's a look at where some of the other men and their comeback attempts have ended up:

Kevin SpaceyRead more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

‘Seinfeld' Writer Larry Charles Confirms Leaked Script for Lost Episode ‘The Gun' Is Real
Joey Delvalle/NBCU Photo BankEarlier this month, a post popped up on the r/seinfeld subreddit with the headline, "Lost Seinfeld script for 'The Bet' aka 'The Gun' finally found" and a link to a PDF on the Internet Archive of what appeared to be the original script, complete with scribbled notations and edits, of an infamous Seinfeld episode that was never filmed about Julia Louis-Dreyfus' character Elaine deciding to purchase a firearm.

Reached by email on Friday, the credited writer of that episode, Larry Charles, confirmed to The Daily Beast that not only is the script legit but that he recognizes his own handwriting throughout.

"I haven't gone through it page by page but it looks real, including my penciled-in revisions," Charles says. "I still have my original table read copy with the cover. From looking at the first few pages it seemed funnier than I remember. But very hard-edged."

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The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Cop Slammed Emory Professor's Head Into Concrete, Then Charged Her With Battery
ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty ImagesAn economics professor at Emory University whose needlessly violent arrest was captured by a news crew on Thursday at the school's pro-Palestine protest, is now facing charges for battery against a police officer.

In a disturbing video captured by CNN, Professor Caroline Fohlin approached several police officers as they wrestled one protester to the ground, forcefully shoving their head into the concrete sidewalk. "Oh my God, what are you doing?" Fohlin asked, horrified.

Fohlin yelled at the officers to "get away" from the student. She leaned down closer to the student, but did not touch them, or any of the officers.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Prosecutors Reveal Who's Paying the Lawyers for Trump's Longtime Assistant
Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty ImagesWhen Manhattan District Attorney prosecutors called their second witness in Donald Trump's criminal case on Friday, they wanted the jury to note who is paying for the lawyers for this prosecution witness: Trump.

Rhona Graff, who served as Donald Trump's executive assistant and so-called gatekeeper for 34 years, was called by prosecutors on Friday to testify in her former boss' criminal hush-money trial. And almost immediately, Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger elicited an important disclosure from Graff—that the Trump Organization is paying for her lawyers.

Hoffinger asked Graff—who appeared alongside Trump in multiple episodes of The Apprentice and worked at his family business until 2021—about a contact number for "Stormy" listed in the Trump Organization's computer system, and another listed for Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal, who claimed to have had a yearlong affair with Trump.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

‘Palm Royale': Allison Janney Crying to a Beached Whale Is Such Important TV
Apple TV The first season of Palm Royale-the Apple TV series set in Palm Beach, 1969—has been nothing if not idiosyncratic, a synthesis of meditations on second and even third acts in American life, examinations of power and gender dynamics among the super-rich, and a whole lot of sunny-hued fun—almost always cranked up to 11 and all filtered through a queer lens. This is a show that featured a 15-minute rumba set piece earlier in the season, so the audience knew coming into the series' eighth episode, "Maxine Saves A Whale," that Palm Royale doesn't simply go for big swings, it relishes them.

Still, nothing could have prepared us for the sudden spectacle of an actual humpback whale beaching itself just outside the Dellacorte mansion, or for the profound self-reflection it prompts in three characters in particular: Maxine Dellacorte (Kristen Wiig), Evelyn Rollins (Allison Janney), and Robert Díaz (Ricky Martin). Yes, in this episode, Allison Janney has her most emotional acting scene of the series, tearfully pouring out Evelyn's bruised heart to a giant, dying whale.

As wild as the whale's surprise appearance is, series creator and showrunner Abe Sylvia describes it as inevitable, the "objective correlative" to his ensemble's individual and collective character arcs, and a necessary shove for

The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

The Dramatic Rise & Fall of Hollywood's Answer to Harvey Weinstein
Photo Illustration by Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty ImagesThe overturn of Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction on Thursday thrust the #MeToo movement back into the spotlight, sparking national conversation about what the movement has accomplished and where it's going. But one high-profile group was absent from the conversation: Time's Up.

The organization, launched by a coterie of Hollywood power players in the wake of revelations about Weinstein's misbehavior, was intended to formalize the organic, largely online movement. But after its star-studded launch, the group underwent an almost cinematic fall from grace, facing complaints of elitism by staff, getting entangled in the sexual harassment allegations against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and finally, suspending operations entirely.

Other organizations, like Tarana Burke's Me Too International, have remained strong, securing steady funding and launching support programs for survivors. And the passage of legislation in at least seven states opening up a "lookback window" for lawsuits resulted in thousands of cases being filed against alleged abusers in the last two years.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Chef-Approved Cookware Brand HexClad Joins Forces with Benny Blanco to Launch an Eco-Friendly Apron
Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission.

If you're anything like me, cooking is not something you do in your finest threads. Whether it's the sauce simmering or the just a smoothie blending, there's always something splashing around. Thankfully, chef-loved cookware brand HexClad tapped music producer and songwriter Benny Blanco to design a limited edition eco-friendly apron that will inspire you to get creative in the kitchen again.

HexClad and Blanco collaborated on a vibrant tie-dye apron made from 100 percent plastic bottle fabric that brings flair and function to the kitchen. Adorned with pink waist ties and pockets aplenty, Benny's Eco Modern Apron is a must-have for serious gourmands and aspiring cooks alike.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Fox News Host Worries Biden Will ‘Nancy Kerrigan' Trump at Debate
Fox NewsWhere's Jeff Gillooly when you need him?

Reacting to Friday's news that President Joe Biden said he's "happy" to debate Donald Trump, Fox News host Emily Compagno speculated that the president could concoct a "Nancy Kerrigan situation" to force a last-minute cancellation.

During Friday's broadcast of Fox News' roundtable show Outnumbered, the co-hosts parroted MAGA talking points that Biden is either too scared or mentally incompetent to go one-on-one with Trump on a national stage—even though the ex-president is the one who backed out of every GOP primary debate this election cycle.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

The Scene That Should Win Netflix's ‘Baby Reindeer' an Emmy
NetflixBaby Reindeer is Netflix's latest and most unlikely hit series, taking the world by storm in the weeks since its early-April release. The riveting, pulse-pounding drama is based loosely on star and creator Richard Gadd's own experience with a relentless stalker (Jessica Gunning), who became fixated on him after he showed her kindness at the pub where he worked. It's often horrifying to witness, but impossible to look away from—especially in one unforgettable moment in its penultimate episode, which solidifies the show as one of the year's best.

[Warning: Spoilers for Baby Reindeer ahead.]

In Episode 6, to put it mildly, things are not going well for Donny, a bartender and failed stand-up comic (played by Gadd). Martha (Gunning) has started to relentlessly harass his parents, and an attempt to coerce her into sending him a violent email so he can finally get the police to do something backfires. Donny's girlfriend has also dumped him after his inability to handle the Martha situation begins to affect their relationship. "Surely it couldn't get any worse from here," he narrates.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

R. Kelly's Child Abuse Conviction Upheld in Chicago Court
Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty ImagesR. Kelly's bid to shorten his lengthy prison terms came up short on Friday, as the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago decided that his 2022 conviction would be upheld.

Kelly had tried to appeal the 20-year sentence on his child porn conviction in Chicago, seeking a reduction in prison time, but the court's decision killed that bid this week after directly linking the Chicago sentence to the 30-year sentence the singer received in New York on sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

According to court documents obtained by The Daily Beast, Kelly appealed his convictions for Sexual Exploitation and Inducement of a Child on the grounds that the statute of limitations on the charges had run out, one of the charges should have been heard by a separate jury, and that 240-month sentence was "improper" procedurally.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

King Charles Announces Return to Public Duties With Cancer Treatment Center Visit
Hollie Adams/Pool/ReutersKing Charles is to return to "public-facing duties" next week, Buckingham Palace said Friday, in an encouraging sign that his cancer treatment is working.

One of his first engagements will be to visit a cancer treatment center with Queen Camilla on Tuesday, and in June he will host the Emperor and Empress of Japan for a state visit. Hopes will be high that he will now be cleared by doctors to attend the Trooping the Color ceremony which celebrates the monarch's official birthday in June.

In the statement the palace said, "His Majesty The King will shortly return to public-facing duties after a period of treatment and recuperation following his recent cancer diagnosis.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Joe Biden Tells Howard Stern He's ‘Happy' to Debate Trump
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI; JIM WATSON/GETTYPresident Joe Biden told Howard Stern on Friday that he would "be happy to" debate his Republican rival Donald Trump, marking the first time the president has explicitly said he would debate Trump this election cycle.

During an hour-long live sitdown with the famed shock jock, Biden was asked whether he would agree to a general election face-off against Trump, prompting the president to insist he was up to the challenge.

"I am, somewhere, I don't know when, but I am happy to debate him," Biden stated.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Former New York Giants Star Found Dead at 28
Icon Sportswire/GettyFormer New York Giants offensive lineman Korey Cunningham has been found dead in his New Jersey home. He was 28.

Local outlet RLS Media said police and emergency services arrived on the scene around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, with the medical examiner removing the body about an hour later.

Police said there was no evidence of foul play.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Trump Lawyers Hammer Pecker During Cross-Examination
Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty ImagesAs the first week of testimony in Donald Trump's criminal trial wrapped up Friday, former tabloid king David Pecker was on the defensive.

Trump defense attorney Emil Bove already faced a tongue-lashing on Thursday from the judge—New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan—over the way Bove was "misleading" the jury as he cross-examined Pecker about the hush-money payments that went to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.

But Bove picked up right where he left off on Friday, asking Pecker detailed questions about specific aspects of Pecker's previous testimony, looking for any inconsistencies in the publishing magnate's recollections to plant a seed of reasonable doubt in jurors' minds.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Donald Trump Wishes Melania Happy Birthday, Makes It All About Himself
Michael M. Santiago/GettyDonald Trump used his break between court sessions to wish wife Melania a very happy birthday with a message focused mostly on himself.

"I want to start by wishing my wife Melania a very happy birthday. It would be nice to be with her—but I'm in a courthouse for a rigged trial," grumbled the former president, who is facing 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business records to cover up an affair that could've hurt him in the 2016 presidential election.

In typical style, the 77-year-old repeated himself, meandered, and bragged about a supposedly crushing performance in court. "We're doing very well in this rigged trial, and everybody knows it. Yesterday was a big day—but I do have to start by wishing Melania happy birthday," he continued.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Aaron Sorkin Is Working on a Jan. 6 Movie: ‘I Blame Facebook'
Shannon Finney/Getty Images for WMEAaron Sorkin is bringing the Jan. 6 Capitol Riots to the big screen with a new film. In the newest episode of podcast The Town, Sorkin opened up (slightly) about his new project, and how it might connect to his hit film The Social Network.

While discussing the state of politics in America, Sorkin made it known who he thinks is responsible for the insurrectionist attack on the White House on January 6th. "I blame Facebook for January 6," he said, and on being pressed to explain why, he dropped some bombshell news. "You're gonna need to buy a movie ticket," to find out.

Sorkin then went mum on the subject, out of deference to his publicist, who was apparently in the audience at a pre-White House Correspondents Dinner party on Wednesday night hosted by WME and Puck in Washington, D.C.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Son Convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter in ‘Exorcism' Drowning of Banker Dad
David Ryan/GettyA Massachusetts man was convicted of involuntary manslaughter Thursday in the drowning death of his father, who died during an attempted exorcism in 2021.

Jack Callahan, 22, was found guilty on one count of involuntary manslaughter after an eight-day trial and about 25 hours of jury deliberations, Plymouth County prosecutor Timothy Cruz said.

On June 28, 2021, then-19-year-old Jack Callahan allegedly went to Boston to pick up his father, Scott, who had noted substance abuse issues, from a bar. The two men had then taken a rideshare home together, which dropped them off at a park. After some time, the two of them got in a fight, and it was then that things turned ugly.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Longtime CNN Anchor Poppy Harlow Exits After 16 Years
Mike Coppola/GettyCNN anchor Poppy Harlow announced in a memo to colleagues on Friday morning that she is departing the network after 16 years.

Harlow will exit CNN next month, according to the network. Vanity Fair first reported on her departure, noting that the veteran anchor was offered a new role after the cancellation of CNN This Morning but opted to leave instead.

"Poppy is a unique talent who combines formidable reporting and interviewing prowess with a human touch that audiences have always responded to," CNN CEO Mark Thomspon said in a statement. "She's been a wonderful colleague at CNN, and we know she will have much success in her future endeavors."

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Gaza Baby Rescued From Her Dead Mother's Womb Dies
Mohammed Salem/ReutersA premature baby girl who was saved from the womb after her mother was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza has now died as well.

Sabreen Jouda passed away in a hospital in the southern city of Rafah on Thursday after surviving for five days in an incubator in a neonatal intensive care unit, her uncle told the Associated Press. Her father and four-year-old sister were also killed in the airstrike that claimed the life of her mother shortly before midnight on Saturday.

First responders transported the family's bodies to a hospital where medical workers performed a posthumous cesarean section on Sabreen's mother, Sabreen al-Sakani, who was 30 weeks pregnant at the time she was killed. The infant was then rushed to another hospital where doctors battled to keep her alive.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Ellen DeGeneres Jokes About Getting ‘Kicked Out of Show Business' After Workplace Scandal
Mario Anzuoni/ReutersEllen DeGeneres on Wednesday night spoke publicly about the "devastating" experience she went through amid allegations of a toxic work environment on her talk show, saying the last few years have taken "such a toll on my ego and my self-esteem."

The 66-year-old comic was appearing on stage in Los Angeles for the first show of her "Ellen's Last Stand… Up Tour." She opened the performance by saying that she "used to say that I didn't care what other people thought of me" and then realized she was saying that "at the height of my popularity," according to Rolling Stone.

DeGeneres' act contained material about what she'd been doing since the cancelation of her Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2022. "What else can I tell you?" she said. "Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business."

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Noem Reportedly Describes Executing Her Pet in New Book: ‘I Hated That Dog'
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via GettyReaching for an example of her unflinching preparedness to do anything "difficult, messy and ugly" if it needs to be done, Kristi Noem landed on a chilling example: the time she killed her pet dog, Cricket, in an execution-style gravel pit slaying.

The South Dakota governor, whose unbreakable devotion to Donald Trump has propelled her to somewhere near the top of his list of his potential 2024 running mates, reportedly included her disturbing tale of canicide in a book set to be published next month. "I guess if I were a better politician I wouldn't tell the story here," Noem writes, according to The Guardian, which obtained a copy.

According to the newspaper, Noem recounts the story of how she not only killed Cricket—a female "wirehair pointer, about 14 months old"—but then also proceeded to botch the killing of an unnamed goat that she owned to which she had taken a disliking.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Trump Trial Today: Defense Team Takes Another Crack at David Pecker
Mark Peterson/AFP via GettyDavid Pecker, much like Arnold Schwarzenegger, will be back.

On Friday, the former National Enquirer boss will take the stand for the fourth time this week in Donald Trump's hush money trial to face a second grilling from the former president's defense team. Pecker, the former CEO of American Media Inc (AMI), has already testified about his efforts to act as Trump's "eyes and ears" ahead of the 2016 presidential election by buying up the exclusive rights to negative stories about the Republican as a way of burying them, a practice known as "catch and kill."

Pecker spoke Thursday about his role in silencing stories from two women who claimed to have had extramarital trysts with Trump (Trump denies the sexual encounters ever took place). One involved AMI paying $150,000 to Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said she'd had an affair with Trump in 2006. The other was a payment of $130,000 that former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen made to porn star Stormy Daniels—which is at the center of the 34 felony counts of falsifying business records that prosecutors have brought against the former president.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Team Trump Fine With Pissing Off MAGA to Compete With Biden
Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily BeastWelcome to Trail Mix, your 2024 election sanity guide. See something interesting on the trail? Email me at jake.lahut@thedailybeast.com. To get Trail Mix in your inbox, subscribe here for free.

This week, an exploration of how much Trump can run afoul of MAGA and why he would do it. Plus, life after the 2024 primary, and more news from Michigan's Senate race.

NOT SO BASED DONRead more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

FDR's Grandson: How Trump Warped Roosevelt's Most Famous Words
Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily BeastAbout the authors: James Roosevelt, Jr. is a grandson of President Franklin Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Henry Scott Wallace's grandfather, Henry A. Wallace, served President Franklin Roosevelt as Secretary of Agriculture, Vice President, and Secretary of Commerce.

Pop quiz: Who said this?

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

What Does Trump Want Most From His Next Veep? Blind Loyalty
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty ImagesDonald Trump is set to hold a "major donor retreat" next week in Florida, and it could signal the unofficial start of the presidential veepstakes.

According to an invitation obtained by Politico, special guests include "Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Tim Scott of South Carolina and J.D. Vance of Ohio, as well as Govs. Doug Burgum of North Dakota and Kristi Noem of South Dakota, and Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Byron Donalds (R-Fla.)." These, of course, are names frequently mentioned as being on Trump's shortlist for a presidential running mate.

Trump won't have to announce his running mate until mid-July, when the Republican National Convention kicks off in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But time is ticking, and this is a decision with both electoral and governing implications. What is more, Trump's advanced age (77), coupled with his four impending criminal trial verdicts, may raise the stakes even higher than normal.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

Trump's Campaign Shifts Strategy for Its Part-Time Candidate
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / GettyListen to this full episode of The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon and Stitcher.

Republican operatives have been forced to rework their strategy to deal with Donald Trump's absence from the campaign trail while he sits in court for his hush money trial in New York.

With the former president only having weekends and Wednesdays off they have had to get creative about how best to utilize that time.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

‘Thank You, Goodnight': A (Very Long) Reminder That Even Jon Bon Jovi Is Mortal
Disney/Hulu"We're halfway there," I said to myself at the two-and-a-half-hour mark of Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, a four-part early Christmas gift to hard-core Bon Jovi fans and a ludicrously detailed look at the pop-rock luminary's career for everyone else.

Like the anthemic songs the platinum-selling New Jersey-born singer is known for, it would take an extra step to actively dislike this very by-the-numbers Hulu documentary, but the excessive length and the overblown manner in which it tries to manufacture drama does get a bit irritating. Put bluntly, there just isn't much going on in this sanctioned and manicured portrait, yet it still goes on forever.

Jon Bon Jovi is, was, and always shall be an extremely handsome and charismatic fella. That smile! Those eyes! Even in the deepest archive footage, striking a pose in preposterous '80s hair-band outfits, the guy still looked good. What's more, you can tell, you can just tell, that he's a nice guy. Have you ever heard anyone say anything nasty about Jon Bon Jovi? Think a minute. No. The answer is no.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

‘The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed' Is the Sex Comedy You Need to See
Magnolia PicturesAn adult sex comedy that's also the most amusingly unerotic film of the year, The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed, which hits theaters April 26, treads into explicit terrain in order to chart the disaffection and confusion of a thirtysomething Brooklynite in search of direction, fulfillment, and companionship. Written and directed by star Joanna Arnow, this bracingly awkward indie—which played at last year's Cannes, Toronto, and New York film festivals—is a portrait of millennial estrangement and discontent that, despite suffering from sporadic redundancy, strikes a raw cringe-comedy nerve.

In New York City's trendiest borough, Ann (Arnow) lies nude in bed beside Allen (Scott Cohen), an older lover whose eyes stay closed as she begins humping his leg. "I love how you never care if I cum. And you don't do anything for me," she announces in a monotone come-hither manner. "It's so disrespectful and misogynist." When she gets no response, she drops her head to his chest and asks, "Do you think people can change?" Roused to actively engage with this, Allen merely sighs and states, "I don't know." This prompts Ann to resume her dry-humping routine and attendant dirty talk, declaring, "I like how you don't care if I get off because it's like I don't even exist." This may be true about Allen, but he mostly just comes across as exasperated by his partner's shtick, staring at her and saying, "Can you not?"

Ann tells Allen that he's the only one she's seeing but theirs is a decidedly unco

The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

‘Challengers': The World Has Never Been So Excited to See People Kiss
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/MGMEvery once in a while—in spite of the inferno of lunacy, cruelty, and soul-crushing stress flaming all around—the world resembles one that I still want to live in, that reflects my deepest values and belief in a society that is fundamentally good.

By some soul-affirming miracle that's happening right now: People everywhere can't wait to see Zendaya and two cute boys kiss. This is my America.

I can't remember the last time I've observed as much anticipation for a movie as I've seen these last few weeks for Challengers. The new film features Zendaya as a tennis superstar at the center of an erotically charged rivalry-turned-love triangle with her husband, Art (Mike Faist), and her former lover—and his former best friend—Patrick (Josh O'Connor).

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 26, 2024

‘A Gentleman in Moscow' Hangs Out With the World's Most Annoying Kid
Ben Blackall/Paramount with ShowtimeHow many little women is Count Alexander Rostov (Ewan McGregor) going to befriend in A Gentleman in Moscow? Alex's habit of acquainting himself with little girls—this sounds odd, but he's the one doing it over and over again—has returned in the fifth episode of the season. This man really needs to get some pals who are his own age.

Alex has taken in Sofia (Billie Gadsdon), the tiny daughter of his old friend Nina (Leah Balmforth). Unlike Nina, who was full of childish whimsy and happiness, Sofia is a bratty thumbsucker. Sofia demands to sleep in the Count's bed. Sofia only talks when she absolutely must. Sofia has messy hair and a messy life and Alex, somehow, still cares for her deeply. Every time he looks at her, he remembers young Nina. Nina is now somewhere off in Russia trying to find her husband, likely putting herself in danger.

But at least Sofia is safe here with Marina (Leah Harvey) and Alex. Well…maybe. Alex is asked to come into questioning by the hotel manager Halecki (Rob Jarvis) and his right-hand man The Bishop (John Heffernan). While Halecki is keen on siding with Alex, the Bishop—a devoted follower of Stalin—firmly believes Sofia needs to be given away to an adoption agency. Alex has no rights over her, and she needs to get a proper education in the outside world. They table the discussion for later.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Jordan Klepper Declares Donald Trump ‘The King of Pettiness'
Comedy CentralThat Donald Trump has a tendency toward pettiness is hardly surprising to those who have been paying attention to the former president's antics in recent years. (See Exhibits A, B, C, D, and E.) But a late-night outburst on Wednesday attacking Bill Barr has The Daily Show correspondent and this week's co-host Jordan Klepper declaring the former president the official "King of Pettiness."

Though Trump spent most of Thursday in a New York City courtroom (again) for his hush money trial, Klepper's co-host Ronny Chieng said that it wasn't all bad news for the former president. "After months of calling him unfit for office, Trump's former attorney general Bill Barr said he's voting for him anyway," Chieng shared. "And Trump responded with as much grace as you'd expect."

Just after 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Trump

The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Emory University's Philosophy Chair Arrested at Campus Gaza Protest
Reuters/Elijah NouvelageVideo taken by a witness and confirmed by local reporters captured the moment Noëlle McAfee, the chair of Emory University's philosophy department, was dragged from a pro-Palestine campus protest in handcuffs Thursday evening—as she called on a student to let her peers know she'd been arrested.

McAfee, who's also the president-elect of the Emory University Senate, can be heard calling out to a stranger—who recorded the whole ordeal—and telling him she was merely observing the protest and was not participating.

While McAfee spoke, she was drug in the opposite direction down a sidewalk by an officer who'd concealed his face with a balaclava. The onlooker recording repeatedly told her he was sorry as she was whisked away.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Mitch McConnell Breaks With Trump on Absolute Presidential Immunity
NBC NewsAs the Supreme Court weighs whether Donald Trump is shielded from prosecution for acts committed while president, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said he opposes Trump's view of absolute immunity.

McConnell spoke with Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker Thursday for a pre-recorded interview set to air Sunday.

During their talk, Welker inquired whether McConnell stood by his February 2021 comment—made just after he voted to acquit "shameful" Trump during his Jan. 6-related impeachment trial—that former presidents are not immune from criminal prosecution.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Missing Trucker's Body Found in Field Months After Mysterious Disappearance
GoFundMeThe search for a missing Iowa trucker came to a tragic end Wednesday, with loved ones revealing David Schultz' body was found lying in a field, his cowboy boots still on and his keys in his pocket—details police used to identify him.

Schultz, 53, disappeared without a trace on Nov. 21 in Sac City, Iowa, where his truck was left abandoned, loaded with hogs he was set to deliver to a farm 10 miles down the road. His keys and phone were left in his rig, and his jacket was found in a nearby ditch, police said.

A months-long search ensued, with his wife, Sarah Schultz, pleading for authorities to pursue answers about her husband's whereabouts. She told the Sioux City Journal she now feels equal relief and sorrow—glad her family has some answers, but grief-stricken by the outcome.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Jessica Lange Is Thrilling, Even if ‘Mother Play' on Broadway Isn't
Joan MarcusLet us be clear: it is mesmerizing, a delicious treat, a little surreal, and utterly thrilling to watch Jessica Lange act on stage in Paula Vogel's Mother Play: A Play in Five Evictions (2nd Stage, to June 16). In this Broadway play, she plays Phyllis, the louche, erratic, loving, and extremely not-loving mother of Carl (Jim Parsons) and Martha (Celia Keenan-Bolger). The play, set in various apartments inside and outside the Beltway of Washington D.C., spans 1964 to the 21st century, and Phyllis in various stages of detachment from her children and the world around her.

The one constant is this season's most skin-crawling special effect: Shawn Duan's projections of cockroaches, who—in the five evictions the title mentions—range freely over refrigerators, and even march in relentless unison all over the walls. You may go home and look up the number of an exterminator.

Those evictions seem a strangely inert dramatic device. Rather like the relationships between mother and son, and mother and daughter, they flare oddly into life and flare down. The characters are also types, who we don't really get to know, except in relation to Phyllis; here Parsons plays a gay son, who wants acceptance, and who will forgive his mother her ugly homophobia out of a deeply felt devotion. Martha, who also comes out, is less forgiving, especially as Phyllis seems far more judgmental and sniping towards her. Carl is

The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

White House Hits Back at Trump's Bogus Charlottesville Comparison
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty ImagesDonald Trump's claim that the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 was less hateful than pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses lately was "repugnant and divisive," the White House shot back Thursday night.

After proceedings in his criminal trial in New York concluded for the day, Trump said the torch-lit rally on the campus of the University of Virginia—in which participants chanted "Jews will not replace us" and a Neo-Nazi murdered a counter-protester with his car and injured thirty others—was "a little peanut" compared to the largely peaceful encampments springing up on college campuses in recent weeks.

"It was nothing compared, and the hate wasn't the kind of hate you have here. This is tremendous hate," Trump claimed.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Local TV Cameras Capture Passerby's Fight With California Mayor's Security Detail
KRON-TVA passerby interrupted a local television interview Tuesday with San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan to start a fight with one of Mahan's security personnel, leading to an arrest for felony battery on a police officer, among other charges, local media reported.

During an interview with KRON, which captured video of the altercation, Mahan was speaking on camera when a man, who police have identified as 35-year-old Wesley Pollard, approached the security detail from behind Mahan and began swearing.

After Pollard got into frame beside Mahan, the mayor told him, "Sorry, we're doing an interview, sir." Pollard soon spoke to Mahan's security guard, who is an officer of the San Jose Police Department. "I'm talking on the phone. You got a problem?"

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

‘Saltburn' for Real: Meet the Young, Rich ‘Narco-toffs' Who Party Hard
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Getty The extraordinary claim by Rebel Wilson that she was invited to a drug-fueled orgy by a minor royal at an LA party was greeted with wry amusement by friends of some hard-partying members of the aristocracy and minor royals this week.

Dubbed the "narco-toffs" by their peers, there has always been a section of the upper class that has incorporated copious drug taking alongside the more traditional society pursuits of hunting, shooting and fishing.

Take the famously dissolute John Hervey, the 7th Marquess of Bristol who inherited a vast fortune but died penniless from drug addiction in 1999. The writer Anthony Haden-Guest described his parties as places where "cocaine and heroin were catered like flowers." Hervey kept a helicopter at his country estate, and would famously steer by a road map on his knees, while snorting cocaine off it. He died in agony of multiple organ failure brought on by drug use.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Megan Thee Stallion's Ex-Makeup Guru Talks. It's Not Pretty.
Prince Williams/WireImageFollowing news that Emilio Garcia, a former cameraman for rap star Megan Thee Stallion, is suing the rapper for withholding wages and creating a "hostile work environment," including forcing him to watch her have sex in a car, another former employee of the rapper has come forward to corroborate some of his claims.

Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, denied Garcia's allegations soon after they were made, with her attorney, Alex Spiro, telling The Daily Beast, "This is an employment claim for money—with no sexual harassment claim filed and with salacious accusations to attempt to embarrass her. We will deal with this in court."

Garcia's suit, which was obtained by The Daily Beast, mentions that he confided in a former makeup artist for Megan Thee Stallion about what he was experiencing while working for her, and makeup artist Akil McCoy has come forward as the likely confidante in question. McCoy tells The Daily Beast that he was very familiar with what happened between Garcia and the rap star. "What I witnessed from Megan was acts of selfishness, lack of integrity and accountability when it came to me, Emilio, and others," McCoy says via email.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

High School AD Framed Principal With Fake AI-Generated Racist Audio: Cops
Wikimedia CommonsA Maryland high school athletic director was arrested Thursday after police said he used artificial intelligence to generate a fake audio clip of a principal making racist and antisemitic remarks—an alleged frame-job believed to have been in retaliation after the school official opened a probe into him.

Dazhon Darien was arrested at Baltimore's international airport on Thursday, three months after the fake voice recording of Pikesville High School Principal Eric Eiswert circulated far and wide, announced Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough.

Eiswert's voice, which McCullough and AI experts believe was simulated, made disparaging comments about Black students, which make up 50 percent of the student body, and the Jewish community. The clip caused a firestorm in the Baltimore suburb of Pikesville, with students reportedly calling for Eiswert's ouster while many staff members spoke out to defend his character.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

How Fox News Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Michael Avenatti
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/GettyOnce upon a time Fox News gleefully mocked its cable-news rivals for their breathless promotion of disgraced former Stormy Daniels attorney Michael Avenatti, who was once hyped as Donald Trump's "worst nightmare" and even floated as a possible presidential candidate.

Now that the convicted felon is defending the ex-president as a "victim of the system" in the hush money case, begging to testify on Trump's behalf and trashing Daniels, his former client, as an unstable liar, the tables have turned: Avenatti is now a commodity in the Fox News universe, scoring primetime interviews from prison, where he is serving 19 combined years for embezzlement, extortion, and fraud.

The conservative cable giant isn't exactly running wall-to-wall coverage of the ex-lawyer like MSNBC and CNN did back in the Trump administration. Still, it is striking to see Fox, which famously labeled Avenatti the "Creepy Porn Lawyer," give him a largely sympathetic platform now that he's peddling a pro-Trump message.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

CAIR Calls On MSNBC to Ban ADL Boss Over ‘Iranian Proxies' Remark
JP Yim/GettyThe Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling for MSNBC to ban Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt from its airwaves over recent comments he made about college students protesting against the war in Gaza.

During an appearance last Friday on Morning Joe, Greenblatt railed against the pro-Palestinian protests raging at Columbia University and other college campuses, describing them as antisemitic and threatening to Jewish students. He also took a shot at the two main organizations behind the demonstrations—the Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.

"Iran has their military proxies like Hezbollah, and Iran has their campus proxies like these groups like SJP and JVP," he declared.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Weepy Weinstein Can't Wait to Return to NYC
Anthony DelMundo/NY Daily News via GettyThe news that Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was overturned left his victims and #MeToo advocates reeling in disgust. But the disgraced Hollywood mogul was so happy he cried tears of joy.

And now the 72-year-old, who has a host of medical problems that go far beyond his infamously deformed genitalia, is looking forward to being transferred from a bleak upstate prison to a lockup in his old stomping grounds of New York City.

"Today is a big deal for him. He wants to get the hell out of there," his lawyer, Arthur Aidala, said of Mohawk Correctional Facility in Rome, New York, where Weinstein has spent the last year.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Columbia Professor Says He Was Racially Targeted by School's Security
Michael M. Santiago/Getty ImagesA professor at Columbia University said he was the victim of targeted harassment from campus security officers after the school beefed-up safety protocols in response to the ongoing pro-Palestinian encampment.

Dr. Carl Hart, a psychology professor at Columbia University, spoke to The Daily Beast about an "explosive interaction" he had with security personnel on Thursday, which he also briefly described on X.

Hart and his wife were entering campus on Thursday afternoon, when a security guard chased him down, claiming he hadn't properly checked in.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

USC Cancels Graduation After Firestorm Over Pro-Palestine Valedictorian's Speech
Wally Skalij/Getty ImagesFirst it canceled a valedictorian's speech. Then it removed all non-university-affiliated speakers from the lineup.

Now, in the latest axe to fall on the University of Southern California's graduation festivities, the school will no longer hold its main commencement ceremony for the thousands of graduates and guests it had promised to host.

In an announcement made Thursday, USC blamed logistical problems related to increased security protocols.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Enquirer Chief Testifies He Was Told Stormy's Trump Story Was ‘True'
Nordin Catic/GettyMaking a deal with a porn star who said she slept with Donald Trump was a step too far even for tabloid king David Pecker, he testified on Thursday.

The American Media Inc. (AMI) chief told jurors he had grave concerns that buying her story in a "catch-and-kill" scheme to protect the future president could potentially sully the National Enquirer's reputation.

Pecker was out to dinner with his wife when then-Enquirer Editor-in-Chief Dylan Howard contacted him and said two of his "best sources" had gotten in touch and said an adult film actress named Stormy Daniels was "trying to sell a story that she had a sexual relationship with Donald Trump."

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Judge Upholds Trump's $83 Million Defamation Verdict
Reuters/Brendan McDermidA federal judge in New York upheld a defamation verdict against Donald Trump, keeping him on the hook for the $83 million he owes E. Jean Carroll, the writer who accused him of sexual assault.

Trump had motioned to receive a new trial, but Judge Lewis Kaplan rebuffed that effort, determining nothing was wrong with the first one that ruled against him.

The decision affirms that Carroll suffered harm from Trump publicly railing against her in 2019, as she went public with her more than decade-old sexual assault allegations against Trump.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Supreme Court Justices' Pro-Trump Immunity Arguments Make Zero Sense
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/GettyAfter an astonishing oral argument session before the Supreme Court, it seems highly likely that there is at least some support for the former president's position that a president can commit crimes while in office, even ones designed to help them remain in office. And what is the reasoning for this position, at least according to what we can tell from some of the questions posed by several of the justices?

The reason at least some justices seem to suggest that we cannot hold former President Trump accountable for his actual effort to spur an insurrection to remain in office is that—get this—some imagined future president might be encouraged to remain in office for fear that they might be prosecuted once they leave office.

Wait, what?

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Weinstein Can't Wait to ‘Tell His Story' at Retrial, Lawyer Says
ReutersHarvey Weinstein has been "dying to tell his story" for years—and he wants to do it on the witness stand.

Hours after the New York Court of Appeals issued a bombshell ruling overturning Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, his defense lawyers took a victory lap outside of Manhattan Criminal Court to praise the decision that marks "a great day for America." In front of a sea of reporters, defense attorney Arthur Aidala relayed that Weinstein is eager for a retrial—and this time intends to tell the court his version of events without "so much baggage."

"Harvey will, under this ruling, be able to take the stand. He will be able to tell his side of his story," Aidala said. "He's been dying to tell his story from Day 1."

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

‘City Hunter': Netflix Whiffs Yet Another Live-Action Manga Adaptation
NetflixMainstream animation from the U.S. and Japan may be far apart in sensibility, style, and intended audience, but cartoons from both countries do share one major piece of common ground: the vast difficulty of translating them into live action. Whether softening the artistry of Disney classics for ill-advised blockbuster remakes or attempting to maintain the quirks of a long-running manga adaptation like One Piece for Netflix, there's an even-when-they-win-they-lose quality to the most notable successes. The would-be franchise-starter City Hunter, Netflix's latest crack at fleshing out an animated phenom, shares that quixotic feeling, even if it isn't an awkward Americanization like the streamer's Cowboy Bebop redo.

Technically, City Hunter—like a lot of famous anime properties—originates from a manga, and the source material seems pretty flexible, having inspired multiple anime series, several animated features, a live-action adaptation from Hong Kong starring Jackie Chan, and a live-action TV drama from Korea, among others. But the movie is, in its soul, a cartoon brought to life, for better or worse.

That's evident from the jump, as its extended pre-credits opening follows private detective Ryo Saeba (Ryohei Suzuki) and his partner Hideyuki Makimur (Masanobu Andô) chasing a young woman through the streets of Tokyo, attempting to save her. Director Yuichi Sato gives this chase sequence a weightless quality even be

The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

The Onion Finally Finds Someone to Buy It From ‘Herb' G/O Media CEO
Justin Sullivan/GettyG/O Media rid itself of another property on Thursday, telling staffers in a company-wide memo that it has sold the satirical outlet The Onion.

"We have been undergoing an extensive review of our portfolio with the intention of coring down to our leading sites in terms of audience and revenues," CEO Jim Spanfeller wrote to staffers in a memo, which was obtained by The Daily Beast. "Today we announced great traffic gains for Quartz but also, as part of efforts to sharpen our focus, we are announcing that G/O Media has sold The Onion to a new Chicago based firm called Global Tetrahedron."

The New York Times first reported the news of the purchase. The Daily Beast reported last month that G/O Media was actively looking for a buyer.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

The Onion Finally Found Someone to Buy It From ‘Herb' G/O Media CEO
Justin Sullivan/GettyG/O Media rid itself of another property on Thursday, telling staffers in a company-wide memo that it has sold the satirical outlet The Onion.

"We have been undergoing an extensive review of our portfolio with the intention of coring down to our leading sites in terms of audience and revenues," CEO Jim Spanfeller wrote to staffers in a memo, which was obtained by The Daily Beast. "Today we announced great traffic gains for Quartz but also, as part of efforts to sharpen our focus, we are announcing that G/O Media has sold The Onion to a new Chicago based firm called Global Tetrahedron."

The New York Times first reported the news of the purchase, later revealing that the buying group was formed by former NBC News reporter (and Daily Beast editor) Ben Collins along with Twilio co-founder Jeff Lawson. The Daily Beast reported last month that G/O Media was actively looking for a buyer.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Trump Claimed Trial Interferes With His Campaign, but on His Day Off He Went Golfing
Mike StobeFormer president Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that his ongoing hush money trial constitutes "election interference," by preventing him from connecting with voters, and so, the Republican presidential nominee spent his one day off from court diligently campaigning.

Just kidding, Trump actually went golfing.

A not-so aggrieved Trump spent his Wednesday puttering around at the Bedminster Golf Club, sources told CNN. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden's presidential campaign released a succinct statement about Trump's campaign events that day: "He had none."

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Battle of the Supermodels: DiCaprio's Ex Hits Out at Hadid
Stefania D'AlessandroIsraeli supermodel Bar Refaeli has taken a swipe at Bella Hadid, accusing the 27-year-old of spreading fake news with her post about Palestinian children.

On Monday, Hadid, who is Palestinian on her father's side, posted an image of children with the caption "Gaza on my mind." However, the image was not from Gaza but from the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria and was taken from a 2021 documentary during the Syrian civil war.

The misrepresentation prompted Instagram to add a warning that Hadid's post was "missing context" and could "mislead people." The note links to a web page that explains the images are from a refugee camp in Syria.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

What Weinstein Accusers Are Saying About the Shock Reversal
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty ImagesMore than 80 women have accused producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault. On Thursday, dozens of them expressed their shock and outrage when news broke that a New York court had overturned his 2020 rape conviction.

The decision from the New York Court of Appeals means the Manhattan DA's office will once again have to try the serial predator, and his accusers may once again have to take the stand. His conviction on one count of sexual assault in connection with a 2013 attack on a woman inside a Beverly Hills hotel still stands.

His accusers' response ranged from heartbreak—"My body is shaking," one texted—to anger and defiance. The women vowed to continue the fight against sexual violence and predation, regardless of the court outcome.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Inside Ronna McDaniel's Six-Figure Severance From the RNC
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/GettyPay Dirt is a weekly foray into the pigpen of political funding. Subscribe here to get it in your inbox every Thursday.

As former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel fights for full payment on her unfulfilled six-figure NBC contract, she at least has a nice financial cushion from the RNC to fall back on.

On March 6, two days before Donald Trump's RNC takeover deposed his handpicked former chair, McDaniel received a payment of $118,769.99, according to disclosures just recently filed with the Federal Election Commission. Those records show that the sum is the single largest payment to McDaniel that the committee has ever reported, amounting to nearly half of h

The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Arrests Get Violent as Cops Deploy Tasers and Tear Gas on Campus Protesters
Elijah Nouvelage/Getty ImagesDemonstrators at Emory University protesting in support of Palestinians and against a planned "Cop City" training center were subject to increasingly violent arrests on Thursday as Atlanta police attempted to shut down their protests.

Around 10:20 a.m., officers from the Emory Police Department, Atlanta Police Department, and state troopers used tear gas, tasers, and zip ties to disperse an encampment set up that morning on the university's quad, Emory's student-run newspaper The Emory Wheel reported.

One disturbing video from the event showed a trio of police officers tasing a protester, who was handcuffed and held down on the ground.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

‘Insecure's' Amanda Seales: I'm Done ‘Protecting' Issa Rae
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagicActress Amanda Seales, who starred on all five seasons of the Issa Rae-helmed HBO hit comedy Insecure, put her former boss on blast during a sit-down with Club Shay Shay host Shannon Sharpe this week.

Recounting tension between herself and Rae's publicist, Vanessa Anderson, when she had attended an event with Jill Scott, Seales said that she felt that Anderson had a problem with her.

"I said to Issa, I don't know what's going on with your publicist, but she got something wrong," Seales told Sharpe. "She got a problem with me. And she was like, that's between y'all. And I said, ‘Well, it's not really between y'all, because I don't have a problem with her. But she seems to have a problem with me.' And she was like, ‘That's none of my business.'"

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Meghan Markle's Strawberry Jam Is the New Ivy Park Box
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/InstagramIf Meghan Markle's lifestyle brand American Riveria Orchard and its strawberry jam are all part of a grand plan to troll the royal family, chances are it's working.

Although the sugary preserves have yet to hit store shelves, people are already smacking their lips thanks to a brilliant PR campaign that rips a page right out of Queen Beyoncé's marketing handbook.

Left and right, a select few celebrities have begun rushing to post video and photos of jam baskets that have been sent to them, complete with bright yellow lemons and handwritten notes from the Duchess of Sussex herself. (You'll notice that the immaculate penmanship on the letters is the same as on the jam jars; that would be Markle's handwriting, perfected through her past life as a part-time calligrapher.)

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Why Weinstein Bombshell Won't Save Him From Rotting in Prison
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/GettyFor years, Harvey Weinstein's New York City sex crimes conviction signified a landmark legal victory for the #MeToo movement. But while that win went out the window on Thursday morning when the state's highest court overturned the disgraced producer's conviction, legal experts say the bombshell does not mean Weinstein will soon see the outside of a jail cell.

And that's because he still faces 16 years in a California state prison after being convicted of similar charges in Los Angeles in 2022.

"Weinstein was convicted in California and will die in prison anyway, so it's a question of whether New York prosecutors retry the case. It will have no practical effect," former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told The Daily Beast on Thursday.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Ruggable and Morris & Co. Are Back With Another Stunning Rug Collaboration
Scouted/The Daily Beast/Ruggable. Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission.

If you were obsessed with Ruggable's first collaboration with Morris & Co., we have great news for you: the brands have released a second joint collection, and it's somehow even more gorgeous than the first.

The original Ruggable x Morris & Co. collection was one of Ruggable's best-selling collaborations to date, with eye-catching prints and gorgeous florals aplenty, so it's no surprise they delivered even more whimsical, nature-inspired prints and designs the second time around.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Sonia Sotomayor Shreds Claim President Can Kill Political Rivals With Immunity
Getty Images An attorney for Donald Trump on Thursday tried to convince the U.S. Supreme Court that his client could have murdered his political rivals with immunity, whether for official state purposes or just because he felt like it—and Justice Sonia Sotomayor was not having it.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trump's presidential immunity case, and discussion largely focused on determining if there is immunity for a president's "official acts."

Justice Sonia Sotomayor cut right to the heart of the issue, by asking attorney John Sauer point blank whether a president should be allowed to assassinate his political rivals, as both he and Trump have previously argued.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Weinstein Accusers Are Reliving the Trauma All Over Again
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty ImagesHarvey Weinstein's accusers responded with shock and defiance Thursday to news that the disgraced producer's New York rape conviction was overturned.

Louise Godbold, who accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, told The Daily Beast she was "shaking" Thursday morning after receiving the news.

"We thought it was finished," she said in a text message. "We thought we could finally move on. Today's news ignites all the panic, the fear, the confusion of the original trauma."

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Pecker: Trump Asked About Playboy Playmate During White House Visit
Jeenah Moon/Getty ImagesTabloid boss David Pecker took the stand at Donald Trump's hush-money trial for a third day on Thursday, testifying about his scheme to bury a Playboy Playmate's salacious affair story that could've done deep damage to the former president's campaign.

The former president, chairman, and CEO of American Media Inc. (AMI), the parent company of the National Enquirer, spent hours on the stand describing the inner workings of the so-called catch-and-kill method of paying for the rights to a story with no intention of it ever seeing the light of day, saying his intention was to help protect Trump's chances of winning the White House—at the behest of the candidate himself.

Pecker said he did it despite having deep concerns about the legality of the practice with regard to campaign finance laws, and was not convinced Trump would ever pay him back for the secret payments. However, he testified, he did it to protect "the boss," and said Trump, even after becoming president, continued to appreciatively reference the levers Pecker had covertly pulled to help him get there.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

David Pecker Details How He Killed Playboy Playmate Story for Trump
Jeenah Moon/Getty ImagesTabloid boss David Pecker took the stand at Donald Trump's hush-money trial for the third day on Thursday, testifying about his scheme to bury a Playboy Playmate's affair story that could've damaged the former president's campaign.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass began questioning on Thursday by having Pecker walk the jury through the evolution of a $150,000 payment that Enquirer parent company American Media Inc. (AMI) made to Playmate Karen McDougal for the exclusive rights to her life story.

Pecker said former Enquirer Editor-in-Chief Dylan Howard approached him in June 2016 and said a source had called to say McDougal was trying to sell a story about a year-long "romantic" relationship she'd had with Trump.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

David Pecker Details Plot to Kill Playboy Playmate Story for Trump
Jeenah Moon/Getty ImagesTabloid boss David Pecker took the stand at Donald Trump's hush-money trial for a third day on Thursday, testifying about his scheme to bury a Playboy Playmate's salacious affair story that could've damaged the former president's campaign.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass began questioning on Thursday by having Pecker walk the jury through the evolution of a $150,000 payment that Enquirer parent company American Media Inc. (AMI) made to Playmate Karen McDougal for the exclusive rights to her life story.

Pecker said former Enquirer Editor-in-Chief Dylan Howard approached him in June 2016 and said a source had called to say McDougal was trying to sell a story about a year-long "romantic" relationship she'd had with Trump.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

‘Unsung Hero': God Himself Can't Save This Uninspiring Faith-Based Drama
Lionsgate"I know what I believe," says Rebecca Smallbone (Kirrilee Berger), a teenager defending her ability to write and sing pop songs, about halfway through the biopic Unsung Hero.

The audience has to more or less take her word for it, because while she will eventually become the Christian pop star Rebecca St. James, Unsung Hero doesn't focus enough on Rebecca to give anyone a sense of her thoughts or feelings on much of anything. We're left to assume that she simply shares most of her beliefs with the true subjects of the film: her parents, David and Helen. In the tradition of King Richard, where Will Smith played the cantankerous, determined, high-standards father of Venus and Serena Williams, the next step in biopic evolution apparently involves paying tribute to the parents who figure so prominently in certain success stories. This seems like a particularly appealing tactic for a faith-based movie like Unsung Hero. Call it Fifth Commandment Cinema.

Unsung Hero is Fifth Commandment Cinema without the benefit of Will Smith-level charisma to make the stubbornness and screw-ups go down easier. What it lacks in star power, it makes up for in astonishing levels of faux-piety and false modesty: Joel Smallbone, of the Christian musical act For King & Country, co-writes and co-directs a biopic starring himself, playing his dad David. As the movie tells it, David follows his dream as a Christian music promoter and, after taking a bath on an early-'90s Amy Grant tour (blamed vaguely on "the ec

The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Angry Protesters Chase NYPD Chief Into NYU Campus Building
Idris Solomon/ReutersA group of pro-Palestine protesters chased a New York Police Department chief into an NYU campus building on Monday night as the demonstrators demanded that he and other officers released a woman in their custody.

Video of the incident shared online shows assistant chief James McCarthy being loudly berated by the protesters as he tries to get inside the NYU Catholic Center. McCarthy struggles and ultimately fails to open a door to the building as shouts of "you fucking fascist" and "fuck you pigs" can be heard from the group surrounding the officers.

The protesters also chant "let her go" in reference to a handcuffed woman appearing to be being restrained by one officer in riot gear. When the police take the woman around the building to another entrance, the protesters follow, continuing to demand her release and shouting "free Palestine."

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Harvey Weinstein's New York Rape Conviction Overturned by New York Appeals Court
Johannes Eisele/AFP via GettyNew York's highest court has overturned fallen Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction.

In a 4-3 decision, the appeals court ruled Thursday that Weinstein was tried not only for the crimes he was charged with but with his past behavior, and that witnesses were allowed to testify about allegations that were not part of the case during the 2020 trial.

"Under our system of justice, the accused has a right to be held to account only for the crime charged," the court said in its ruling.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Trump: Charlottesville Rally a ‘Peanut' Compared to Campus Gaza Protests
Yuki Iwamura/GettyDonald Trump on Wednesday described a deadly 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville as a "peanut" compared with the current wave of pro-Palestine demonstrations unfolding on college campuses across America.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, the Republican noted that his successor, Joe Biden, had cited the Unite the Right rally in Virginia as among his motives for running for president. One woman was killed and almost 40 other people were hurt when a neo-Nazi rammed his car into a crowd of counter-protesters at the rally—an event that Trump claimed at the time had been attended by "very fine people on both sides."

"Crooked Joe Biden would say, constantly, that he ran because of Charlottesville," Trump wrote in his post Wednesday. "Well, if that's the case, he's done a really terrible job because Charlottesville is like a ‘peanut' compared to the riots and anti-Israel protests that are happening all over our Country, RIGHT NOW."

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Twisted Russian Court Jails Teen Girl for 3 Years for Graffiti
Reuters/Denis SinyakovA Russian court has sentenced two teenagers to hard time for graffiti and anti-war social media posts. Lyubov Lizunova, 16, was sentenced to 3.5 years in a penal colony, while 19-year-old Alexander Snezhkov got 6 years, the court's press service said Thursday.

The two were detained by federal agents in October 2022 for writing "death to the regime" in graffiti in the city of Chita.

Since President Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has ordered a crackdown on dissent across Russia.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

King Charles' Funeral Plans Dusted Off, as His Health Remains a Mystery
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty ImagesIt's the question everyone in British society and in the corridors of power is thinking, but nobody will publicly ask, let alone answer: Just how sick is King Charles III? The chatter that King Charles is significantly more unwell than his aides are letting on is proliferating in British society.

Speaking to friends of the king in recent weeks about his health, the most common response is a lowering of the voice by half an octave or so, followed by the sombre, drawn-out pronouncement: "It's not good."

His officials didn't respond to formal requests for comment on the matter from The Daily Beast. To be clear, his team have made it very clear, since the king disclosed his cancer diagnosis earlier this year—in an unprecedented act of royal transparency—that they wouldn't be providing a "running commentary" on his health.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Bloodied Horse Seriously Injured But Alive, Army Says
Jordan Pettitt/PA Images/Getty ImagesThe white horse which charged through London streaked crimson by blood is in a serious condition but still alive, British military officials said Thursday.

Vida, technically known as a grey horse, is in an equine hospital after the dramatic incident in Central London Wednesday. Up to five horses either bolted or threw their riders after builders working on a construction site dropped a heavy load of concrete and rubble from height on an otherwise quiet street the horses were being ridden on.

The horses are all part of the Household Cavalry, a regiment closely associated with the king which provides ceremonial escorts at state occasions such as the monarch's birthday parade.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Moulin Rouge's Windmill Blades Come Crashing Down Overnight
Benoit Tessier/ReutersQuelle catastrophe! The Moulin Rouge suffered a bit of a faux pas early Thursday when the blades fell off the iconic red windmill that stands atop the theater and crashed down into the street below.

The world-famous cabaret joint in Paris said no one was hurt in the incident that unfolded shortly before 2 a.m. "The Moulin Rouge, in 135 years of history, has experienced many adventures but it is true that for the wings, this is the first time that this has happened," General Manager Jean-Victor Clerico said, Reuters reports.

The blades also appear to have wiped out the first three letters of the neon "MOULIN ROUGE" sign on their way down.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



The Daily Beast
Apr 25, 2024

Trump Mercilessly Mocks His Former AG Bill Barr for Endorsing Him
ReutersDonald Trump is tearing into his former attorney general for endorsing him in the upcoming presidential election, using the opportunity to dredge up his old insults against the man he says "let a lot of great people down by not investigating Voter Fraud in our Country."

Bill Barr, who invoked the wrath of Trump after publicly rebuking the then-president's claim of a "stolen" election in 2020, said last week that he'd support a "Republican ticket" in the 2024 election.

In an interview earlier this month with Fox News' America's Newsroom, Barr was asked directly if he'd support Trump despite having past "disagreements" with him.

Read more at The Daily Beast.



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