The Daily Beast Latest Articles
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Marlon Wayans Says Weinsteins ‘Raped’ Him With Bad Movie Deal Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images Doubling down on his belief that it takes offensive material to reach some heights of comedy, Marlon Wayans compared a sour movie deal with the Weinstein brothers to the scores of women who accused Harvey Weinstein of rape and sexual assault.The comments came from an interview with The New York Times’ David Marchese, released just nine days after the shock overturn of Weinstein’s New York conviction. Marchese asked Wayans if it irritated him that a new Scary Movie had been announced, since Wayans and his brothers had created that project only to be shut out of the franchise by the third installment. Wayans initially responded that it didn’t bother him, but followed up with a dig at the Weinsteins when Marchese asked if he still got paid from those projects.“No, that’s a whole ’nother conversation. I like to say that you know, those Weinsteins,” Wayans chuckled, “they raped everybody.”Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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J.K. Rowling Is So Transphobic Even Elon Musk Wants Her to Shut Up Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty ImagesJ.K. Rowling has been on the anti-trans train for years, but her ramblings have gotten so exhausting that even anti-LGBT loudmouth Elon Musk wants her to move on.Replying to a verbose (700+ words!) post by the Harry Potter author from nearly a month ago, Musk voiced his agreement with the general thrust of her points—which amounted to several blocks of reheated ideas on why she thinks transgender women aren’t women—but gently guided her to other endeavors.“While I heartily agree with your points regarding sex/gender, may I suggest also posting interesting and positive content on other matters?” the billionaire, who has tirelessly platformed right-wingers and fascists, wrote.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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Ted Cruz Is Not Pleased With Comedian Tom Segura’s ‘Motherf*cker’ Story Win McNamee/Getty ImagesSen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has seen that viral stand-up bit about him, and he’s not laughing.On the most recent episode of Meghan McCain’s podcast ‘Citizen McCain,’ the Republican Senator from Texas got the opportunity to respond to a hilarious story from Tom Segura’s latest Netflix special Sledgehammer, where the stand-up comedian says Cruz is his neighbor and that the U.S. senator once asked him about the origin of the word “motherfucker” when he saw Segura walking in front of his house.Segura claimed the politician later reappeared outside his house and apologized for their awkward encounter, before once again pontificating on the origins of the curse word. Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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Students Won’t Stop Protesting for Palestine, Even During Their Own Graduations Nic Antaya/Getty ImagesDozens of pro-Palestine student protesters briefly interrupted Saturday’s commencement ceremony at the University of Michigan, according to The New York Times. Students opposing Israel’s deadly military campaign in Gaza, marched toward the stage, shouting “Regents, regents, you can't hide! You are funding genocide!” Other students flashed Israeli flags and caps adorned with the Star of David. Overhead one plane flew by, carrying the message “Divest from Israel now! Free Palestine!” while another flew by with a banner that said, “We stand with Israel. Jewish lives matter.” Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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Bill Maher Blasts AG Merrick Garland for Failing to Prosecute Trump HBOBill Maher ripped “Attorney Genial” Merrick Garland a new one during Friday night’s episode of Real Time with Bill Maher for allowing Donald Trump to continually skirt federal prosecution for his alleged crimes. “And finally, new rule: At the top levels of our federal government, giving a guy a job because he got screwed over for another job, isn’t a good reason to give a guy a job. Especially if the job is Attorney General. And especially if it’s during a time when we need a tough AG to catch a real criminal.”Maher was of course talking about Attorney General Garland, “who, spoiler alert, sucks,” according to the talk show host. But Maher didn’t just turn his ire on Garland who he dubbed “Attorney General Barney Fife,” but on the Democrats who appointed him. Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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California Man Charged With Sending Death Threats to Fani Willis Alex Slitz/Getty ImagesA southern California man was charged with sending death threats to Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis over her prosecution of Donald Trump, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Georgia announced Friday.Marc Shultz, 66, of Chula Vista, made his first federal court appearance in San Diego on Thursday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement. He had been indicted by a federal grand jury on April 24 and will be formally arraigned in Atlanta in June.Shultz allegedly threatened Willis’ life in several comments posted to YouTube livestream videos on Oct. 4 and Oct. 5, vowing to violently murder her. In the comments, he lobbed racial slurs at the D.A. and said she “will be killed like a dog,” according to the indictment and the U.S. Attorney’s release.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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Francis Ford Coppola Heartbreakingly Dedicates ‘Megalopolis’ Trailer to Late Wife Instagram/Francis Ford CoppolaFrancis Ford Coppola has unveiled the first teaser for his upcoming sci-fi film Megalopolis, dedicating the release to his late wife Eleanor.In a post made to Instagram, Coppola celebrated his wife’s birthday while introducing the world of Megalopolis. Eleanor was a documentary filmmaker and mother to Sofia, Roman, and Gian-Carlo, and passed away this year on April 12 at the age of 87.“Megalopolis has always been a film dedicated to my dear wife Eleanor,” Coppola wrote in the caption on the post. “I really had hoped to celebrate her birthday together this May 4th. But sadly that was not to be, so let me share with everyone a gift on her behalf.”Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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Drake and Kendrick Lamar Threaten to Go Nuclear in Newest Diss Tracks Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty ImagesDrake and Kendrick Lamar drifted ever closer to mutually assured destruction on Friday, as the two rappers went nuclear in a set of dueling diss tracks.The two rappers have been beefing since March, when Lamar hopped onto a Future and Metro Boomin’ track called “Like That,” to push back on Drake and J. Cole’s suggestion that the three of them were in the same league. Since then, the rappers have fired off a volley of diss tracks, slowly escalating from insults to allegations. On Friday, Drake readied his missiles, while Lamar went straight up nuclear.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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Caitlin Clark Shines in Her WNBA Debut for Indiana Gregory ShamusCaitlin Clark has starred in her WNBA debut game Friday night for the Indiana Fever as she scored a team-high of 21 points. Despite the Fever losing 79-76 to the Dallas Wings, Clark put on a fine display scoring a deep 3-pointer for her first basket as a professional just a minute into the game.The two-time NCAA women’s basketball player of the year led all first-half scorers with 16 points in 16 minutes. Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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Brittney Griner Describes Life Behind Bars As ‘Putin’s Pawn’ in New Book Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty imagesBrittney Griner, the 6-foot-9-inch WNBA player known for having broken barriers in women’s basketball, including for being the first openly gay athlete to score a Nike deal, recounts the miserable 10 months she spent imprisoned in Russia in her new book Coming Home, which she wrote alongside frequent celeb memoir collaborator Michelle Burford.On Feb. 17, 2022, Griner was detained in Russia en route to join her team UMMC Ekaterinburg when nearly empty cannabis vape pens were discovered in her luggage. She was held in various Russian jails for 10 months, before escaping the nine-year prison sentence from a Russian court in August 2022. She was ultimately released via prisoner swap, after Russia agreed to her release in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout in December that year.Griner’s wife Cherelle Griner, an attorney who had to graduate law school and pass the bar without wife Brittney by her side, championed her release by making public pleas in the media and calling out President Joe Biden for not helping more swiftly (the book describes how Biden warned Cherelle that Putin sees her criticisms of him in the media, which could work to their disadvantage). Two years after reuniting, the couple are now expecting their first child—but Griner hadn’t told the full story of her experience, until now.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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John Mulaney’s ‘Everybody’s in L.A.’ Is Bizarro Comedic Genius Netflix I had no idea what to expect when I tuned into the first episode of John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A. on Friday night, but by the end, I emerged convinced that Netflix needs to give this man his own talk show. This bizarre, free-wheeling experiment in live streaming feels like the apotheosis of Mulaney’s comedic evolution. As guest Jerry Seinfeld put it, “This is the weirdest show I have ever been on in my life.”Everybody’s in L.A. is a six-part comedy special debuting as part of Netflix Is a Joke Fest. The first episode premiered Friday, and the subsequent five will debut Monday through Friday at 10 p.m. ET. Episodes will feature a mix of live work from Mulaney, alongside pre-taped interstitial skits. They’ll each also have a theme—in this week’s case, “Coyotes.” Aesthetically, the vibe here is low-budget morning show—a living room set that, as Mulaney put it, “looks like the kind of house where you’d spend a half hour trying to connect the Sonos.” And thematically? Anything goes.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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The Swashbuckling Woman Who Helped Invent The Rolling Stones Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures“Why do you want to talk about Brian?” Alexis Bloom, the co-director, with Svetlana Zill, of the new documentary Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg, asks when I raise the specter of Brian Jones, the ill-fated founder of The Rolling Stones and Pallenberg’s lover during the 60s heyday of the band. “They were young, they were on drugs, he was dazzling, he was a good musician. But he beat her. He beat everyone else. It’s like, she was going to stay around?”For decades, the “cool kids” amongst Stones fans have fought for what they’ve felt was founder, l’enfant terrible and drug casualty Jones’ rightful place of pride in the history of the band’s rise, while others have wrung their hands over whether it was keyboardist, roadie and founding member Ian Stewart or Brian Epstein protégé and early manager Andrew Loog Oldham who was more deserving of the “6th Stone” moniker.But maybe they’ve had it wrong all along.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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Trump Says Some Americans Might Like a Dictator. He’s Right. Photo Illustrator by Erin O’Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty ImagesNumerous scary details came out of Donald Trump’s recent interview with Time magazine, but few were more eye opening than an exchange that, in my opinion, didn’t garner the attention it deserved.When asked about his authoritarian rhetoric regarding being a “dictator for a day” and “suspending the Constitution,” Trump responded, saying, “I think a lot of people like it.”Now, in fairness, Trump insisted that he was only joking and “being sarcastic” when he said these things. Moreover, he suggested that normal people get it, while the overwrought press (who find joking about these things dangerous and are worried about “norms” and the “social fabric”) keep getting trolled by him.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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Did a Fox Host Just Joke About Paul Pelosi’s Hammer Attack? Fox NewsFox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy made a bizarre quip Friday about Paul Pelosi after a colleague hypothesized about Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients awarded by a Democratic administration, saying that Pelosi—who was struck in the head with a hammer during a home invasion in 2022—perhaps “needs the hammer instead of the medal.”The comment came during a Jesse Watters Primetime segment about how President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 people on Friday, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the former Speaker of the House.After guest host Pete Hegseth made a point to tell viewers that Biden flubbed the name of the award as the “presidential freedom of medal,” he and Campos-Duffy complained about Biden’s choices, which featured the late civil rights leader Medgar Evers, John Kerry, and Simone Biles. After wistfully remembering how Donald Trump presented Rush Limbaugh with the honor, they thought of recipients they felt would have been more deserving.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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Met Gala Mystery: How Much, or Little, Will Lauren Sánchez Reveal? Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily BeastCome Monday night, will Lauren Sánchez go overtly demure, or all out for flesh-showcasing attention at the Met Gala? How is Anna Wintour masterminding the final look? The questions are fascinating fashion-watchers because of the headlines around a White House State Dinner in April, where Sánchez turned heads in a low-cut ruby red corset dress with sheer detailing from Rasario, an independent brand established in 2012 by designer Rasida Lakoba.Once images of Sánchez in the dress began circulating on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), users had a lot to say. Some commented saying Sánchez’s look was “totally inappropriate” and “embarrassing.”Sánchez is known for her risqué fashion choices. In January, at husband Jeff Bezos’ 60th birthday during Milan Fashion Week, she wore a low-cut sheer floor-length dress with lace detail that was very revealing.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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I Can’t Stop Thinking About Barbra Streisand’s Accidental Ozempic Snafu Photo Illustration by Erin O’Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty Images and InstagramThis week:I Get It, BabsI’ve never felt more of a kinship with Barbra Streisand than when she accidentally commented on Melissa McCarthy’s Instagram not realizing that everyone in the world could see.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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‘Mary & George’ Stop the Relentless Sex to Wage War—and It’s Just as Satisfying StarzAs if there weren’t enough power struggles being waged from week to week on Mary & George, real war is brewing for the English in 1618, and Mary Villiers (Julianne Moore) and her son George (Nicholas Galitzine) are on the proverbial frontlines. Episode 5 of the deliciously provocative seven-episode limited series dials back its sexual overtones for the first time since its premiere. If Mary & George were a lesser show, those who come to this period piece for all of its licking and lusting—of which there is so much—might be disappointed by this week's lack of copulation. But by dialing up the life-and-death stakes, and putting a sizable wedge between mother and son for the first time, Mary & George Episode 5 shows us that this series can be just as persuasive when it turns its focus from brothels to battles.At the top of the episode, Sir Walter Raleigh (Joseph Mawle)—a soldier and explorer who was responsible for proliferating the legend of the golden city of El Dorado among the English people—has just recovered from a failed, rogue attack on Spanish troops. In a period of peace following the Anglo-Spanish War, Raleigh’s assault was treasonous to England, and Raleigh kills his captain to cover it up, but must be shipped back to England regardless to explain the organized strike on Spanish troops to King James I (Tony Curran).Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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This Explosive ‘Challengers’ Debate Is Tearing the World Apart Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty Images/Everett CollectionTaylor Swift has a new album, One Direction fever is back, and, in the most 2010s twist of all, we’re all arguing over who is the better boyfriend between two fictional guys. Team Edward or Team Jacob? Team Gale or Team Peeta? Now, in light of Challengers premiering in theaters, the debate tearing apart the internet is: Team Art or Team Patrick?Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O’Connor) are two racket-wielding love interests to tennis superstar Tashi (Zendaya) in Luca Guadagnino’s hot new movie. In the film, Tashi bounces between the two studs—not all that dissimilar to a fuzzy green ball—over the course of their young careers. What the internet can’t seem to agree on is who, at the end, Tashi should spend the rest of her life with.(Warning: Slight spoilers for Challengers to follow.)Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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The 101 Greatest Moments in the Entire ‘Star Wars’ Universe Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/Lucasfilm/DisneyOn April 17, 1973, George Lucas began writing the story treatment for a project known as “The Star Wars,” a passion project of science-fiction and fantasy, with a nuanced critique of American imperialism. That treatment morphed into what we now know as Star Wars, a cultural phenomenon the likes of which we’d never seen, and one that endures until this day. (And it happens that today is Star Wars Day. May the Fourth be with you.)The Star Wars franchise has a rich history, from the original trilogy and the Star Wars Expanded Universe to the Prequel Trilogy, and later, the new canon established after the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm. One constant throughout is a fanbase that is devoted (sometimes too much) to the galaxy far, far away and the stories that occupy it. Whatever era of Star Wars is your favorite, there are bound to be countless moments for you that spring to mind that you cherish, that define your love for the saga.Whether it’s a lightsaber duel that pulled you into the universe, the love story between a princess and a scoundrel, or something as simple as the beeps and boops of a little blue droid, Star Wars has something for everyone. Crafting a list of the 101 Greatest Moments across the entire saga is no easy feat, simply because everyone has different ideas and different tastes about what makes Star Wars, well… Star Wars.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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My Testimony Against Harvey Weinstein Was Thrown Out on Appeal Courtesy of Taralê WulffI was in my apartment last Thursday morning when I received a text message. “Thinking of you today. Sending love. Let me know if you need to talk.”I thought, “What a sweet message to receive first thing in the morning. I have the best friends.”He replied, “I’m seeing the headlines and immediately thought of you.”Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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The Dramatic Meeting Now Stalling Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Case Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty Images/Everett CollectionAn off-hand remark—or a terribly misconstrued one—by a federal prosecutor at a private meeting with a defense attorney in Donald Trump’s classified documents case may add yet another delay to the former president’s already severely delayed trial.U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon has already earned a reputation for making bizarre rulings that favor the man who appointed her to the bench, pushing back a trial that could have started long ago.Now comes another potential opportunity for Cannon to side against Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith—this time over a wild story about possible prosecutorial misconduct by a key member of his team.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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Nepo Baby of the Week: Other Nepos Could Learn From Maya Hawke Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / GettyMaya Hawke might play the famous novelist and essayist Flannery O’Connor in her new movie, Wildcat, but during the film’s press tour, she’s also taken on another, even rarer role: the chill nepo baby.It’s a known fact that 90 percent of famous Hollywood progeny break out into hives, literally or figuratively, when asked about how their parents’ status helped their career. Many of them—like Lily-Rose Depp and O’Shea Jackson Jr.—sputter out some nonsense about how all their famous DNA did was get their foot in the door (which, yes, is the entire idea of nepotism). More intense nepo babies, like Ben Platt, might get yanked out of an interview by their team just a couple questions after you ask them about the dreaded discourse. Why so shy?Compare that to Maya Hawke, who has spent years gracefully fielding these questions. In fairness, when you’re starring in a film your father happened to direct, you kind of have to. Still, both Maya and Ethan Hawke have been pretty open about Hollywood’s devotion to creating famous bloodlines.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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How Hope Hicks Ended Up in the Hush-Money Hot Seat Reuters Former White House aide Hope Hicks ended up in an unenviable position on Friday: testifying against her ex-boss in the hush-money trial of Donald Trump.Here’s how the former teen model turned MAGA maven wound up as a star witness in the historic case, year by year:2014Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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‘I’m Still in Denial’: Tesla Layoffs Leave Interns High and Dry Peter Cziborra/Reuters One New York college student was ready to spend the summer in Palo Alto with Tesla’s engineering HR team. Another from Michigan spent thousands on housing for an internship in Austin, Texas, to work with the electric automaker’s firmware recruiting group. A third in North Carolina was elated to join Tesla’s Buffalo, New York, hub as a visual design intern.But all their internship offers were suddenly yanked this week.“After a single phone call of less than two minutes,” one student wrote on LinkedIn, “my entire plan for this summer had vanished as if it had never even existed.”Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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Bodycam Videos Show Mom Begging ‘Please Don’t Shoot’ as Cops Shoot Son During Mental Health Crisis Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty ImagesNewly released body camera footage shows two New York police officers killing 19-year-old Win Rozario last month in front of his mother and brother, who begged the officers not to shoot.On March 27, two NYPD officers responded to a call made by Rozario himself, who had called 911 in the midst of a mental health crisis.In the harrowing body camera videos released by the Office of the New York Attorney General, Officers Salvatore Alongi and Matthew Cianfrocco can be seen arriving at the Rozario family’s home in Ozone Park, Queens, greeted by Utsho Rozario, Win’s 17-year-old brother.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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Fox Host Presses Nancy Mace Over Soros Claim: ‘No Proof’ Fox NewsWhen Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) added to an emerging GOP trend Friday by accusing billionaire philanthropist George Soros of funding pro-Palestine protests on college campuses, Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto shot back that there is “no proof” for her claim, adding wryly: “I just looked for the checks and I haven’t seen them yet.”On Your World, Mace followed the likes of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake, each of whom have either suggested or declared outright that Soros is providing financial support for protesters at universities like Columbia, UCLA, and Rutgers.When asked if she believed school administrations should negotiate with protesters and “put up for a vote” regarding divesting from Israel, Mace dismissed that idea, instead calling for some of the students to be deported.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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Fired ABC News Weatherman Once Went on ‘Sexist’ Tirade and Blamed Wife Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty ImagesBefore he was kicked to the curb by ABC News following a “heated screaming match” with a Good Morning America producer, star meteorologist Rob Marciano had been suspended by the network for at least a month and forced to take anger management classes after making inappropriate comments to a female producer in 2022.According to four sources familiar with the matter, during a contentious interaction with a GMA producer two years ago, Marciano made sexist remarks during the exchange, only to later claim he was actually referencing his soon-to-be ex-wife, and not his female colleague.Marciano was then pulled off the air for weeks and made to take an anger management course, the sources say. GMA’s executive producer Simone Swink, however, refused to let Marciano back on the show following his suspension due to this outburst and complaints that he might make other staffers uncomfortable. Marciano was eventually allowed to reappear on GMA and deliver weather updates to the show’s audience—but only from other studios or the field.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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Feds Probe Alleged Anti-Palestinian Racism at Columbia, Group Says Alex Kent/Getty ImagesThe U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation into alleged anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim, and anti-Arab racism at Columbia University, according to a group that filed a complaint against the university. The news comes after months of student complaints about increasing harassment and the school’s failure to prevent a hateful environment towards Palestinian students from taking root on campus.The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights notified Palestine Legal, the group representing Columbia students and Students for Justice in Palestine, of its investigation, which the group shared in a public statement on Thursday. If the investigation finds Columbia violated Title VI, it could lose federal funding or “be referred to the Justice Department for further action,” according to the department.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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Trump Pays $9,000 Fine for Intimidating Jurors and Witnesses Curtis Means/Pool via ReutersDonald Trump on Thursday paid his $9,000 fine for repeatedly violating a judge’s order and brazenly launching a volley of intimidating attacks against witnesses and jurors in his ongoing New York trial.The business tycoon has a long history of stiffing business partners and refusing to pay court ordered fees in a timely fashion, but he cut the New York State court system two checks just two days after a judge found him in contempt mid-trial.The payments were confirmed by the clerk’s office at the Manhattan criminal courthouse late Friday afternoon on a phone call three minutes before closing for the week.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com
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Not Everyone Loved Mark Hamill’s White House Press Briefing Cameo Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesMark Hamill made a surprise appearance at the White House press briefing on Friday, and not everyone is happy about it.“How many of you had ‘Mark Hamill will lead the press briefing’ on your bingo card? Hands?” the iconic actor joked, explaining that he’d just met with President Joe Biden, who’d given him a pair of sunglasses. “I love the merch, I love it all,” he said.The Star Wars actor said he was open to questions from the press, but joked that he wouldn’t answer any questions about the beloved film series in which he starred.Read more at The Daily Beast.thedailybeast.com