Daily Beast

Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty Images/YouTubeWhen The New York Times revealed the name of one of the biggest investors behind Donald Trump’s social media venture last weekend, his name leapt off the page: Republican megadonor—and Never Trump billionaire—Jeffrey Yass.The revelation that a GOP donor like Yass, the wealthiest person in Pennsylvania, had money in a Trump business was particularly newsworthy, given the context of this particular investment—a merger that could extend a financial lifeline to the cash-strapped former president, to the tune of potentially billions of dollars, at a critical time for him both personally and politically.The story caught fire among Trump critics, particularly because of the conspicuous timing. The news of the potential merger was just days after Trump made an abrupt policy reversal that favored another Yass investment, TikTok. Almost immediately, the prospect of Yass—known for his refusal to support Trump even though he’s a prolific GOP donor—at long last entering the MAGA tent seemed very real.Read more at The Daily Beast.

Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty Images/Alex Hopes Photography/Matt NelsonMatt Nelson never intended to create one of the most popular social media accounts on the internet. In fact, when he made his debut—a Twitter account in 2014—his only real goal was to practice his comedy routine while he studied professional golf management at Campbell University in North Carolina.Nelson, 27, realized that anytime he would show off his golden retriever or insert her into a joke, the post would do really well. “They were pretty universally loved,” he told The Daily Beast. “I was like, ‘Oh, amazing. I think the internet loves dogs just as much as I do.’”It was in that realization that WeRateDogs—an account dedicated to rating photos of dogs on a scale of 10 with the final tally always exceeding the scaled limit—was born in 2015. The account quickly became a hit, setting itself apart from the typical noise and cynicism of Twitter.Read more at The Daily Beast.

Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/GettyRemember when Jeb Bush ran for president? (No one will judge you harshly if you don’t.) The son of a former president, the brother of another, and a successful two-term governor—Jeb was the GOP money’s first choice in 2016. He might not have been the presumptive nominee, but at the start, it was his race to lose.Then, as the New Hampshire primary approached—and a deranged political novice named Donald Trump was poised to trounce both him and the rest of the field—“low energy” Jeb went viral for sheepishly asking a town hall crowd to “please clap” for the speech they didn’t realize he had just finished.No one could accuse Elon Musk of being low energy, but over the past few weeks, the Tesla and X boss has channeled Jeb’s desperate need for validation—as the house burned down around him.Read more at The Daily Beast.

Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Samuel Corum / GettySitting at the head of the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester, Virginia, is a city steeped in the history of the Civil War, known as the “shuttlecock of the Confederacy” because it changed hands so many times.There is a new battle brewing there now: a bitter debate over whether a school board member charged for allegedly taking part in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, among other infractions, should resign his seat.At the center of this modern maelstrom is Miles Adkins, who was elected to the Frederick County board as an independent in 2021. Some residents see Adkins as a hard-working American patriot; others angrily denounce him and call for his ouster.Read more at The Daily Beast.

CBS NewsAn FBI official fell victim to mysterious symptoms associated with Havana Syndrome while investigating an alleged Russian spy inside the United States, according to a joint investigation by CBS News, Der Spiegel, and Russian-focused magazine The Insider. The federal agent, identified only as Carrie, was “hit by a crippling force” while doing laundry at home in Florida in 2021, according to a 60 Minutes segment that aired Sunday. “It felt like I was stuck in this state of, like, disorientation, not able to function,” she told the program. “I am completely consumed by a piercing sound that I can only describe as when you listen to a movie and the main character is also consumed by the sound after a bomb goes off.”Read more at The Daily Beast.

Miya Mizuno/HBOThe Regime is taking a page out of the Succession book in the penultimate episode of the season. Herbert (Matthias Schoenaerts) wants to play bitey with Elena (Kate Winslet). He’s been chomping on her fingers super hard, “almost chewing them off,” in his dreams. The new couple sit with a dream therapist to discuss these odd visions on Christmas day in the palace.“Biting doesn’t necessarily signify aggression,” the therapist suggests. He’s wired to equate love with pain, and his dreams are a safe space to explore that. To practice a healthier mindset, Herbert should try placing Elena’s hand in his mouth but not bite it, which could create a nonviolent feedback loop in his dreams. Later, as Herbert and Elena have some intimate time—it’s a nightmare to watch these cringey scenes; get me to that dream therapist—Herbert sucks on her fingers, but doesn’t clamp down on them with his teeth. Elena applauds him, as if he were a rescue dog learning not to munch on humans. They’re “two little lunatics who fit like a glove,” Elena says, an apt title for their oddball relationship.Christmas at the palace is full of chipper music, holly jolly decorations, and the distant sound of bombs coming from a rebellion just a dozen miles away from the palace. Luckily, the explosions are light rumblings, not loud enough to completely distract from the murmurs of “Jingle Bells” on a nearby boombox at the palace. Elena calls for a family photo in front of the tree with young Oskar (Louie Mynett)—whose mother is actually Agnes (Andrea Riseborough)—and Herbert, her bodyguard-turned-live-in boyfriend.Read more at The Daily Beast.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesBack in 2017, Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) orchestrated the passage of a pair of laws, known as FOSTA/SESTA, targeting sex workers. Now, she’s launching a new war on OnlyFans.According to XBiz’s Gustavo Turner, Wagner recently accused the subscription-based platform of pushing illegal child porn videos and facilitating sex trafficking. “It is absolutely unconscionable,” she told Reuters in March. “These findings confirm what my office has known for years: Americans are being sexually exploited on OnlyFans. Congress and federal law enforcement must do more.”I take it Wagner doesn’t subscribe or post on OnlyFans, but I do. And as one of the top earners on the platform, I know her accusations aren’t just far-fetched—they contradict the very nature of the website.Read more at The Daily Beast.

William DeShazer for The Washington Post via Getty ImagesA burning trailer full of Bibles was left outside an evangelical church in Tennessee on Easter morning, according to local police, with the church’s far-right pastor denouncing it as a “100 percent” deliberate act.Around 6 a.m. on Sunday, police and firefighters responded to a trailer fire at an intersection outside the Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, a city around 20 miles east of Nashville, according to the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office. Firefighters “promptly extinguished” the blaze, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.“The trailer, containing bibles, had been dropped off in the middle of the intersection and then intentionally set on fire,” it said. No further details were immediately disclosed, with the sheriff’s office citing the need to “uphold the integrity of the ongoing investigation.”Read more at The Daily Beast.

Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty ImagesA luxury real estate venture backed by Jared Kushner in Serbia has stoked fierce opposition from public officials and civilians who have accused Kushner of cultural insensitivity over the project.The proposal from Kushner’s Affinity Group investment firm is aimed at building a high rise hotel and ritzy apartment building on the site of the bombed out former Serbian army headquarters in Belgrade.A local opposition group, the Kreni-Promeni or “Make Changes” movement, launched a petition earlier this week against it that garnered some 10,000 signatures in just a matter of hours. As of Friday, more than 25,000 people had signed the petition.Read more at The Daily Beast.

Angela Weiss/Getty ImagesIt seems Donald Trump is having a very normal Easter Sunday.In a lengthy holiday temper tantrum posted to Truth Social, Trump went after several of his favorite courtroom targets, accusing them of doing “EVERYTHING POSSIBLE” to derail his 2024 re-election effort.“HAPPY EASTER TO ALL, INCLUDING CROOKED AND CORRUPT PROSECUTORS AND JUDGES THAT ARE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO INTERFERE WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2024, AND PUT ME IN PRISON,” the former president began in his 166-word rant. Read more at The Daily Beast.