Politics

Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty ImagesEvery dog has its day—and Cricket’s appears to be nigh.News that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) shot and killed a 14-month-old wirehaired pointer two decades ago after determining it was “less than worthless” as a bird hunter has been met with near-universal condemnation and outrage, with some of the loudest voices being those of professional animal handlers, including rescues and kennels that specialize in the breed.“At 14 months it’s not like a puppy, it is still a puppy,” Dan Griffith, a Sioux Falls breeder and the owner of Griffs Grassland Kennel, told The Daily Beast, “and in my opinion it sounds like the only thing wrong with it is that it lacked training.”Read more at The Daily Beast.

Sean Zanni/GettyMAGA cable network Newsmax is attempting to force longtime Trump friend and billionaire grocery store magnate John Catsimatidis to testify in Dominion Voting System’s defamation lawsuit alleging the right-wing channel knowingly peddled election lies.The cable outlet also names Catsimatidis’ media companies, Red Apple Media and WABC Radio, in its petition to enforce a subpoena.According to the petition, obtained by The Daily Beast and filed Monday in the Supreme Court of New York County, Newsmax is seeking to depose Catsimatidis to ascertain why he and his radio station have not been named in Dominion’s defamation lawsuits about the 2020 presidential election.Read more at The Daily Beast.

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording AcademyRussell Brand has taken a new step to express his devotion to Christianity. In an Instagram post on Monday, the embattled actor-comedian turned commentator shared his baptism experience, months after being accused of rape and sexual assault by several women in a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4 docuseries Dispatches.“I got baptized and it was an incredible, profound experience,” he said in the video. “Many aspects of it were very intimate and personal,” he continued, “As a person who has in the past taken many substances and always been disappointed with their inability to deliver the kind of tranquility and peace and even transcendence that I always felt I’ve been looking for, something occurred in the process of baptism that was incredible, overwhelming, literally overwhelming because I was obviously under water and it was the River Thames.”Prior to converting to Christianity, Brand had been “into Hinduism,” according to ex-wife Katy Perry. He’s been public about his Christian faith for years, but started posting his thoughts on Christianity to social media in 2023—the same year he was accused of rape and physical and emotional abuse between 2006 and 2013 by four women in a scathing TV documentary. Since then, more women have come forward to either accuse Brand of other instances of assault or share that they believed the accusers.Read more at The Daily Beast.

Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty Images/Courtesy of Keren SitaAn Airbnb guest alleges her “attractiveness” became too much to bear for her spiteful host, whom she claims essentially pushed her out the door over fears her publishing-exec-cum-alpaca-farmer husband would fall for her during her stay.In an eye-popping federal lawsuit obtained by The Daily Beast, 23-year-old Keren Sita, an aspiring law student who was crowned 2017’s Miss Black Vermont, says Marcia Meinerth, 77, couldn’t handle having a “young hot Black girl” in the house, and made things increasingly miserable for her until she finally packed up and went elsewhere.“The intensifying animosity” was solely “based on superficial attributes,” according to Sita’s complaint. Meinerth “appeared to project her frustrations and insecurities onto me… leading to tensions in our interactions,” the complaint states. “She treated me like I was going to steal her unattractive and old husband.”Read more at The Daily Beast.

Borja Puig de la Bellacasa/ReutersA feverish five-day political drama in Spain finally came to an end Monday with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s decision to remain in his role despite saying he was contemplating resigning over the launch of a corruption investigation into his wife.Socialist Sánchez last week said he was considering standing down after a court decided to permit a judicial probe into his spouse, Begoña Gómez. Sánchez, who has led Spain since 2018, slammed his opponents for launching a “harassment and bullying operation” and canceled his public duties while he considered his future.He also theatrically promised to make a statement announcing his final decision one way or the other on Monday. After a weekend of frenzied speculation about what would happen and a series of demonstrations around the country calling for him to stay, Sánchez announced in a speech that he would, in fact, be going nowhere.Read more at The Daily Beast.