On May 22, a Donald Trump superfan and occasional sports blogger from the Bronx named Shawn Brooks posted a video clip of Nancy Pelosi on his personal Facebook page. The clip showed Pelosi at her most excitable, stammering during a press conference as she voiced frustration over an abortive infrastructure meeting with the president. Brooks’ on the video was succinct: “Is Pelosi drunk?” Thirteen minutes later, a Facebook official told The Daily Beast, Brooks posted to a Facebook page called Politics WatchDog—one of a series of hyperpartisan news operations Brooks runs (with help, he claims)....…On May 22, a Donald Trump superfan and occasional sports blogger from the Bronx named Shawn Brooks posted a video clip of Nancy Pelosi on his personal Facebook page. The clip showed Pelosi at her most excitable, stammering during a press conference as she voiced frustration over an abortive infrastructure meeting with the president. Brooks’ on the video was succinct: “Is Pelosi drunk?” Thirteen minutes later, a Facebook official told The Daily Beast, Brooks posted to a Facebook page called Politics WatchDog—one of a series of hyperpartisan news operations Brooks runs (with help, he claims)....WW…

When Donald Trump suggested on Wednesday that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) once married her own brother in an immigration fraud scheme, he demonstrated the remarkable degree to which even the most far-off corners of the right-wing internet can launch unproven, anonymous claims into the national political discourse.The president had been asked by a reporter from the pro-Trump about whether his administration was investigating Omar “for possibly marrying her brother.” In response, Trump hinted that “somebody” in the government was looking into the matter.“There’s a lot of talk about the fact that...…When Donald Trump suggested on Wednesday that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) once married her own brother in an immigration fraud scheme, he demonstrated the remarkable degree to which even the most far-off corners of the right-wing internet can launch unproven, anonymous claims into the national political discourse.The president had been asked by a reporter from the pro-Trump about whether his administration was investigating Omar “for possibly marrying her brother.” In response, Trump hinted that “somebody” in the government was looking into the matter.“There’s a lot of talk about the fact that...WW…

KYIV, Ukraine—The Daily Beast has learned from an influential member of Ukraine’s parliament, from one of the country’s prosecutors, and from a center combating corruption that the government here is likely to pursue the cases that . But not the way Trump intends, and not necessarily to the detriment of Trump challenger .The investigations and possible prosecutions, if they happen, would take place in the context of a new law signed by Zelensky just before his departure for the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he is expected to meet face to face with Trump for the first...…KYIV, Ukraine—The Daily Beast has learned from an influential member of Ukraine’s parliament, from one of the country’s prosecutors, and from a center combating corruption that the government here is likely to pursue the cases that . But not the way Trump intends, and not necessarily to the detriment of Trump challenger .The investigations and possible prosecutions, if they happen, would take place in the context of a new law signed by Zelensky just before his departure for the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he is expected to meet face to face with Trump for the first...WW…

In the summer of 2018, congressman-turned-lobbyist Jim Moran was trying to recruit his former colleagues to put pressure on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Moran was doing so on behalf of one of his clients, the government of Qatar. And he had a pot of money, left over from years of donations to his reelection campaigns, that he could steer to his lobbying targets.Throughout June and July, Moran, a “senior legislative advisor” at the firm McDermott Will & Emery, reached out to at least a dozen House and Senate members of both parties as part of the effort. He for the letter, which he hoped...…In the summer of 2018, congressman-turned-lobbyist Jim Moran was trying to recruit his former colleagues to put pressure on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Moran was doing so on behalf of one of his clients, the government of Qatar. And he had a pot of money, left over from years of donations to his reelection campaigns, that he could steer to his lobbying targets.Throughout June and July, Moran, a “senior legislative advisor” at the firm McDermott Will & Emery, reached out to at least a dozen House and Senate members of both parties as part of the effort. He for the letter, which he hoped...WW…

In today’s Darwinian media environment, newspapers, magazines and online publications seem to be biting the dust every week—a depressing new normal. But the sudden death of Pacific Standard—a decade-old Santa Barbara-based online magazine covering environmental science, social justice, economics policy, official corruption and other substantive issues—has hit the journalism community especially hard. “Generally the loss of smart independent publications makes me cynical and deeply tired,” New Yorker contributor tweeted to Wednesday’s announcement of the shutdown, “but I gotta say, the...…In today’s Darwinian media environment, newspapers, magazines and online publications seem to be biting the dust every week—a depressing new normal. But the sudden death of Pacific Standard—a decade-old Santa Barbara-based online magazine covering environmental science, social justice, economics policy, official corruption and other substantive issues—has hit the journalism community especially hard. “Generally the loss of smart independent publications makes me cynical and deeply tired,” New Yorker contributor tweeted to Wednesday’s announcement of the shutdown, “but I gotta say, the...WW…

Editor's note: On August 10, 2019, Jeffrey Epstein died in an . For more information, see The Daily Beast's reporting .Billionaire pedophile was arrested for allegedly dozens of minors in New York and Florida between 2002 and 2005, and will appear in court in New York on Monday, according to three law enforcement sources. Epstein, who owns a New York City mansion and an island in the Caribbean, was being held at the federal lockup in Manhattan ahead of his court date.Saturday’s arrest by the FBI-NYPD Crimes Against Children Task Force comes about 12 years after the 66-year-old financier...…Editor's note: On August 10, 2019, Jeffrey Epstein died in an . For more information, see The Daily Beast's reporting .Billionaire pedophile was arrested for allegedly dozens of minors in New York and Florida between 2002 and 2005, and will appear in court in New York on Monday, according to three law enforcement sources. Epstein, who owns a New York City mansion and an island in the Caribbean, was being held at the federal lockup in Manhattan ahead of his court date.Saturday’s arrest by the FBI-NYPD Crimes Against Children Task Force comes about 12 years after the 66-year-old financier...WW…

For 40 years, I’ve advised at-risk public figures and government agencies on high-stakes security matters. My career has included working with the CIA, FBI, at the Reagan White House, counseling foreign leaders, and advising on controversial murder cases. I’ve seen a lot. And yet, I’ve recently seen things that have surprised even me, such as the National Enquirer’s parent company, AMI, being in league with a foreign nation that’s been actively trying to harm American citizens and companies, including the owner of the Washington Post. You know him as Jeff Bezos; I know him as my client of...…For 40 years, I’ve advised at-risk public figures and government agencies on high-stakes security matters. My career has included working with the CIA, FBI, at the Reagan White House, counseling foreign leaders, and advising on controversial murder cases. I’ve seen a lot. And yet, I’ve recently seen things that have surprised even me, such as the National Enquirer’s parent company, AMI, being in league with a foreign nation that’s been actively trying to harm American citizens and companies, including the owner of the Washington Post. You know him as Jeff Bezos; I know him as my client of...WW…

BEHIND THE CURTAINThe Yankees legend—who will be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday—has managed to keep his political leanings hidden for decades.ariano Rivera, the greatest relief pitcher in baseball history, will be formally enshrined in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. A throng of New York Yankee diehards will surely make the trek to Cooperstown, NY, to take in the proceedings and relive treasured memories. For countless fans, Rivera is baseball royalty—an idol, worshipped for his on-field dominance, deadly mastery of a cut fastball, and pinpoint control....…BEHIND THE CURTAINThe Yankees legend—who will be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday—has managed to keep his political leanings hidden for decades.ariano Rivera, the greatest relief pitcher in baseball history, will be formally enshrined in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. A throng of New York Yankee diehards will surely make the trek to Cooperstown, NY, to take in the proceedings and relive treasured memories. For countless fans, Rivera is baseball royalty—an idol, worshipped for his on-field dominance, deadly mastery of a cut fastball, and pinpoint control....WW…

Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination is being underwritten by some of the nation’s leading Russophiles. Donors to her campaign in the first quarter of the year included: Stephen F. Cohen, a Russian studies professor at New York University and prominent Kremlin sympathizer; Sharon Tennison, a vocal Putin supporter who nonetheless found herself detained by Russian authorities in 2016; and an employee of the Kremlin-backed broadcaster RT, who appears to have donated under the alias “Goofy Grapes.”Gabbard is one of her party’s more Russia-friendly...…Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination is being underwritten by some of the nation’s leading Russophiles. Donors to her campaign in the first quarter of the year included: Stephen F. Cohen, a Russian studies professor at New York University and prominent Kremlin sympathizer; Sharon Tennison, a vocal Putin supporter who nonetheless found herself detained by Russian authorities in 2016; and an employee of the Kremlin-backed broadcaster RT, who appears to have donated under the alias “Goofy Grapes.”Gabbard is one of her party’s more Russia-friendly...WW…

CHEAT SHEETTOP 10 RIGHT NOWPress Play, Get SmarterCHEAT SHEETTOP 10 RIGHT NOWPresident Trump delivered his first public rebuke of the nation’s top infectious disease expert and a member of his coronavirus task force on Sunday evening by resharing a tweet that said “Time to #FireFauci.” DeAnna Lorraine, a Trump supporter and former congressional candidate for California, tweeted: “Fauci is now saying that had Trump listened to the medical experts earlier he could’ve saved more lives. Fauci was telling people on February 29th that there was nothing to worry about and it posed no threat to the...…CHEAT SHEETTOP 10 RIGHT NOWPress Play, Get SmarterCHEAT SHEETTOP 10 RIGHT NOWPresident Trump delivered his first public rebuke of the nation’s top infectious disease expert and a member of his coronavirus task force on Sunday evening by resharing a tweet that said “Time to #FireFauci.” DeAnna Lorraine, a Trump supporter and former congressional candidate for California, tweeted: “Fauci is now saying that had Trump listened to the medical experts earlier he could’ve saved more lives. Fauci was telling people on February 29th that there was nothing to worry about and it posed no threat to the...WW…