Ten orangutans released back into the wild after rehabilitation in Indonesia

After being rehabilitated, these ten orangutans are finally being released back into the wild

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  • Did Prince Andrew Really Just Use Prince Philip’s Death to Sneak Back on TV?

    Duncan McGlynn/Getty ImagesThe shamelessness of Britain’s Prince Andrew really does take some beating.He has suggested that a photograph of him with his arm around a teenage sex trafficking victim was faked because he has “chubby fingers.” He said that same woman’s description of him pouring with sweat at a nightclub must be a lie because he cannot sweat (he can). He ascribed his week-long 2010 visit to Jeffrey Epstein to his extreme sense of honor. Don’t even mention his love of pizza.Prince Andrew Says Prince Philip’s Death Has Left ‘Huge Void’ in Queen’s LifeIncredibly, Andrew now appears to be using his father’s death to crawl out from under the rock of royal exile to which his brother Charles, who has long struggled with him, banished him after the disastrous November 2019 Newsnight interview in which those, and many other questionable claims, including the cynical lie that he would co-operate with law enforcement inquiries into Epstein’s crimes, were made.Coming out of church on Sunday morning, just 48 hours after the death of his father, whose greatest disdain was reserved for royals embarrassing the family, Andrew made a beeline for the camera and started giving what appeared to be an off-the-cuff interview to a news camera about how the entire royal family was “all feeling a great sense of loss.”Andrew has clearly missed his media appearances. On and on he went. How grateful he was for the tributes paid to his father. How “calm” his father was as a man. He was also careful to suggest his father’s death had helped connect him to the proletariat, saying it “brought it home to me not just our loss but actually the loss that everybody else has felt, for so many people who have died and lost loved ones during the pandemic.”It was shockingly unshocking to see Andrew, not a drop of perspiration on him despite having gained a few extra pounds, bad British teeth and all, standing there in his black suit, acting like nothing had happened, freelancing away for the cameras.Maybe we had all just imagined the past year and a half, especially the bit where Prince Charles, now more than ever the acting head of the royal family, had stripped him of all his royal patronages, kicked him out of his office in Buckingham Palace, and removed his obscene $300,000 a year grant from the British taxpayer.It was, at first, all rather inoffensive waffle that was emanating from Andrew’s mouth. It might not have even made the evening news. But if there is one thing that is guaranteed to galvanize the British public, it is insight into that most mysterious of things: how the queen is actually feeling, up close and in private.Asked about the effect of Philip’s death on Her Majesty, Andrew, stunningly, decided to go there: “She described it as having left a huge void in her life,” he said, adding that she had described her husband’s passing as a “miracle.”His words were plastered over news websites and TV stations within moments.Given that Andrew was filmed outside the private Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Castle, which he had attended along with other members of the royal family including his younger brother, Prince Edward (who spoke more traditionally to reporters outside the chapel saying that his father’s death was a “dreadful shock”) there was at first an assumption that Andrew had been given permission to speak to the media. Had Charles had a change of heart? It seemed incredible, but was Andrew back on his way inside the charmed circle, entitled to free food and air miles once again?On Monday, however, leaks began trickling out suggesting that that assumption was far from an accurate characterization.Dan Wooton, the journalist who broke the news that Harry and Meghan were leaving the U.K., reported in the Daily Mail that sources had told him: “Prince Andrew might hope that this sad situation changes things, but Prince Charles is adamant there is no way back while allegations hang over him. He spoke on camera in a private capacity because this is a family event. No one can stop him doing that.”Neither the palace nor an advisory firm retained by Prince Andrew responded to inquiries from The Daily Beast.Andrew’s fantasy of a comeback has been oft-reported over the past two years. And he is still at it, with a source described as “close to Prince Andrew” telling Wooton, “He still harbors thoughts that he can make a comeback. He genuinely thinks that’s possible.”If Andrew needs any further reminder that he is no longer welcome in public life or in British sitting rooms, and that his father’s death changes nothing, he may want to consider this statistic: Almost 400 people have already written to the BBC to complain about Andrew featuring on the corporation’s coverage.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • Late night hosts could totally believe Matt Gaetz is dim enough to publicly Venmo young women for sex

    Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) "has been under fire since news broke of him being under investigation over possible sex trafficking — but like a Karen in a Bath & Body Works, he refuses to back down," Trevor Noah said on Monday's Daily Show. "We have to wait for all the facts to come in," but it's already "not a good look for Matt Gaetz" that "he Venmo's $900 to his sleazy friend, and then that same friend Venmo's it to three young women for 'tuition.'" And "it looks like Matt Gaetz is so stupid that he might have paid girls for sex on Venmo!" Noah said. "I mean, you think you know a guy, and then it turns out yeah, you totally do know him. ... Nobody writes the real thing for a Venmo payment, all right? You always write something funny or weird," or just use emojis, he added. "You'd think a guy who hangs out with teens would know that." The Late Show had a surefire fix: "Sexno." "Doing crimes on an app? How dumb are these guys?" Stephen Colbert asked at The Late Show. "It's like organizing a hit on 'Words With Friends.'" And sure, that already "seems incredibly stupid and incriminating," but "the icing on this stupid, stupid cake: At the time, all these interactions could be viewed on Gaetz's public Venmo page." "Let he who has never Venmo'd a prostitute cast the first stone," Jimmy Kimmel quipped at Kimmel Live. "Sadly for Matt," he "was reportedly denied a meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, which, that has to be a heartbreaker. Matt Gaetz was like the son Donald Trump never had; now he's getting treated like the sons he does have." Seriously, "how toxic do you have to be for Trump to not want to meet with you?" Kimmel marveled. "He's literally pen pals with Kim Jong Un. He once invited the Taliban for a weekend of glamping at Camp David, and now he won't let Matt Gaetz come see him. ... Asking Trump for a favor is like asking a Nigerian prince for a refund." Of course "Trump's dodging Gaetz after Gaetz spent years parroting Trump's most unhinged lies," Seth Meyers said at Late Night. "Next thing you know, Trump's going to start act like he doesn't even know Matt Gaetz's name." Which, Meyers showed, already happened last October. Watch below. More stories from theweek.comTrump finally jumps the shark7 brutally funny cartoons about Mitch McConnell's corporate hypocrisyBiden gets positive GOP reviews after infrastructure meeting, a hard no on corporate tax hike

  • Prince Harry speaks on Prince Philip’s death: He was ‘cheeky ’til the end’

    Prince Harry has spoken out on Prince Philip‘s death, saying in his statement that his grandfather was, “cheeky ’til the end.” As theGrio reported, last week the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, passed away at 99.

  • Kim Kardashian and Kanye West agree joint custody after divorce

    US reality star Kim Kardashian married rapper Kanye West in 2014 but filed for divorce in February.

  • A top Biden advisor says the White House doesn't need GOP support in Congress for infrastructure package to be bipartisan

    Parts of the infrastructure plan are drawing support from Republicans - Republican voters, that is. The White House insists this is bipartisanship.

  • Trump turns down meeting with Gaetz amid investigation: report

    ‘My family and I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official,’ the embattled Gaetz said in a statement. Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has reportedly been denied a meeting with former President Donald Trump amid a sex trafficking probe that has shrouded his political career. The Republican congressman, a staunch supporter and close friend of Trump, believes the former commander-in-chief should run for office again in 2024.

  • With Warning to Democrats, Manchin Points the Way for Biden's Agenda

    WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., flashed a warning sign for President Joe Biden’s infrastructure ambitions this week, renewing his pleas for fellow Democrats not to ram through a large spending bill without first working to compromise with Republicans who have panned the president’s plans. In a divided Washington, the chances that such a compromise will materialize are slim — at least for a sprawling spending plan of up to $4 trillion, as Manchin, a pivotal swing vote in the Senate, and administration officials favor. Even so, Manchin’s calls for bipartisanship were less an insurmountable obstacle for Democrats than a road map for Biden if he wants his party’s tiny congressional majorities to deliver him another economic policy victory. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times It involves reaching out to Republicans to explore possible areas of compromise while laying the groundwork to steer around them if no such deal materializes. Biden has already begun the outreach to Republicans, while senior Democrats in Congress are exploring a budget maneuver that would allow the infrastructure bill to pass quickly with only Democratic votes. Both are aimed at increasing the pressure on Republicans to compromise — and, if they will not, giving Manchin and other moderate Democrats whose backing Biden needs the political cover to accept an all-Democratic plan. “I’m going to bring Republicans to the White House,” Biden said Wednesday. “I invite them to come. We’ll have good-faith negotiations. And any Republican who wants to get this done, I invite.” A moment later, he urged Republicans to “listen to your constituents,” arguing that voters across America back infrastructure spending on the scale Biden envisions — not the scaled-back versions many Republicans have floated. The comments reflected a huge caveat in Biden’s willingness to negotiate that Republicans say could scuttle any deal: The president wants to be the one to set the terms of how large the problems are, and of whether the proposed solutions are sufficient. Behind the scenes, his team is working to soften the ground for bipartisan work. Administration officials are considering carving off some parts of Biden’s economic agenda into smaller pieces that could attract 10 or more Republican votes each, starting with a bill focused on supply chains and competition with China that the Senate is set to take up next week. They have discussed postponing Biden’s proposed tax increases on corporations, which Republican oppose, if doing so would get Republicans on board with a spending bill. And they have considered financing the spending through any means acceptable to a critical mass of Republicans, including borrowing, as long as they do not raise taxes on people earning less than $400,000 a year. The negotiations appear, at first glance, like a slower-moving repeat of the cross-party dance that produced a nearly $1.9 trillion economic aid package this year. Biden started with a large proposal. Republicans countered with one a third its size. White House officials wrote them off as unserious, Senate Democrats stuck with the president, and the bill passed with every Republican voting in opposition. This version will take longer, in part because Manchin and other moderate Democrats want it that way. In interviews and, this week, a prominent op-ed piece, Manchin, who could be the 50th vote Democrats need to pass a bill through the budget reconciliation process, has blared his message: First, try bipartisanship. “Senate Democrats must avoid the temptation to abandon our Republican colleagues on important national issues,” Manchin wrote in the Washington Post op-ed Thursday. “Republicans, however, have a responsibility to stop saying no, and participate in finding real compromise with Democrats.” Privately, many Democrats and Republicans say there is little chance that lawmakers could produce a bill as ambitious as Manchin wants while also attracting at least 10 Republican votes in the Senate. Liberals and conservatives are trillions of dollars apart in their appetites for how much to spend and what to spend it on — and nowhere near one another on how or whether to pay for any of it. Some Republicans are pushing for a bill that is a third the size of Biden’s initial infrastructure plan, an echo of their position in the debate on the stimulus bill, while rejecting Biden’s proposed tax increases on corporations. At the same time, progressive Democrats are clamoring for the White House to go bigger, and would be unlikely to support a whittled-down plan tailored to win Republican backing. Congressional Democrats say Republicans’ resistance to spending on the order Biden — and even Manchin — has called for, coupled with widespread opposition to most tax increases, leaves little chance of common ground. “They don’t want to pay for anything,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. “I think the faster everyone recognizes that Republicans are not going to support these efforts, the better. But I am OK with people trying for a while, as long as it doesn’t run the clock out.” Republican senators, singed by their experience on the pandemic aid bill, responded to Biden’s gestures to bipartisanship by issuing a chilly statement saying that the last time he made a public plea to work together, “the administration roundly dismissed our effort as wholly inadequate in order to justify its go-it-alone strategy.” In an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., pushed the administration to negotiate an infrastructure measure that would represent about 30% of the $2.25 trillion being proposed, before turning to budget reconciliation for any additional spending increases. “My advice to the White House has been, take that bipartisan win, do this in a more traditional infrastructure way and then if you want to force the rest of the package on Republicans in the Congress and the country, you can certainly do that,” Blunt said. Importantly, Republicans have no interest in the corporate tax increase that would essentially undo their most significant legislative achievement of the Trump era. Neither do business groups, which have helped broker some bipartisan compromises on economic issues in the past but have lost some power in recent years as populist impulses have swept both parties. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the minority leader, called the tax proposal “an effort to rewrite the 2017 tax bill,” which itself passed via budget reconciliation with no Democratic votes. The Trump tax law “in my view was principally responsible for the fact that in February 2020 we had the best economy of 50 years,” McConnell said. “But they are going to tear that down.” Still, business lobbyists and some lawmakers remain hopeful that Manchin’s appeal could prod Biden and congressional leaders toward a set of mini-compromises on infrastructure. Such deals could including spending big on research and development for emerging industries, like advanced batteries, in the supply chain bill, which carries bipartisan sponsorship in the Senate. They could also include spending a few hundred billion dollars on highways and other surface transportation projects. That could satisfy at least some of Manchin’s quest for bipartisanship and give both parties the ability to claim victory. Some Democrats worry that such compromises could sap momentum for the rest of Biden’s agenda, including forthcoming proposals for education, child care and more. Others say the opposite: that a few deals would give Biden and his party traction with voters, and fuel to pass a large spending bill, funded by tax increases, later this year with only Democratic votes. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. © 2021 The New York Times Company

  • Corporations don't like voter suppression, so McConnell wants them out of politics. Seriously?

    Republicans stand on the wrong side of history and democracy. One can only hope corporate America will continue to see through their hypocrisy.

  • Kanye West has responded to Kim Kardashian West's divorce filing and asked for joint custody of the couple's 4 children

    Sources previously told TMZ that the couple's split was "amicable" and that Kardashian West also wanted joint custody.

  • Prince Harry and Prince William’s Feud Rumbles on as They Issue Dueling Statements on Philip’s Death

    Twitter / Kensington RoyalIf this is a truce, it doesn’t much look like one.Prince Harry and Prince William released dueling statements Monday afternoon following the death of their grandfather last week, with Harry making a statement just 32 minutes after his brother released his.If you love The Daily Beast’s royal coverage, then we hope you’ll enjoy The Royalist, a members-only series for Beast Inside. Become a member to get it in your inbox on Sunday.That the brothers were unable or unwilling to co-ordinate a joint statement does not bode well for hopes of fraternal reconciliation in the coming days.Harry and Meghan were criticized in some quarters for unilaterally posting a brief message of condolence on their website last week, before other more senior members of the family had spoken.While William’s statement today was intensely personal, focused on his own memories of his grandfather, Harry sought to identify directly with the general public, referencing the coronavirus pandemic and drawing a parallel between his bereavement and that of “many of you who have lost a loved one or grandparent over the pain of this past year.”Prince William’s statement, which was accompanied on Twitter by an adorable photograph of Prince George on a horse-drawn carriage with Philip, appeared to refer to the guidance and support his grandfather offered him after the death of his mother, Diana, in a 1997 car accident, saying: “I feel lucky to have not just had his example to guide me, but his enduring presence well into my own adult life—both through good times and the hardest days.”Prince Philip Thought Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Oprah Interview Was ‘Madness’William said Philip’s “century of life was defined by service—to his country and Commonwealth, to his wife and Queen, and to our family.”William paid testament to Philip’s “infectious sense of adventure as well as his mischievous sense of humour” and said he was grateful Kate “had so many years to get to know my grandfather and for the kindness he showed her,” adding, “I will never take for granted the special memories my children will always have of their great-grandpa coming to collect them in his carriage.”William’s statement concluded: “My grandfather was an extraordinary man and part of an extraordinary generation. Catherine and I will continue to do what he would have wanted and will support The Queen in the years ahead. I will miss my Grandpa, but I know he would want us to get on with the job.”Harry described his grandfather “as a man of service, honour and great humour.”In language that seemed more Californian than British, Harry described his grandfather as “authentically himself.”He also seemed to refer to the duke’s tendency to make outrageous remarks, saying, “You never knew what he might say next.”Harry’s statement went on to say that while he would be remembered for his many official roles, “for me, like many of you who have lost a loved one or grandparent over the pain of this past year, he was my grandpa: master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right ‘til the end.“He has been a rock for Her Majesty The Queen with unparalleled devotion, by her side for 73 years of marriage, and while I could go on, I know that right now he would say to all of us, beer in hand, ‘Oh do get on with it!’“So, on that note, Grandpa, thank you for your service, your dedication to Granny, and for always being yourself. You will be sorely missed, but always remembered—by the nation and the world. Meghan, Archie, and I (as well as your future great-granddaughter) will always hold a special place for you in our hearts.”Harry signed off his note with the phrase “Per Mare, Per Terram,” the Latin motto of the British Royal Marines.Harry succeeded his grandfather as captain general of the Royal Marines in 2017. Philip had previously done the job for 64 years. Harry was forced to resign after 30 months as part of the terms of his departure from royal life.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • Psaki says Biden 'does not spend his time tweeting conspiracy theories' after a GOP senator criticized the president's social-media use

    President Joe Biden "spends his time working on behalf of the American people," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday.

  • Grandfather, mentor and role model: Prince Philip played a crucial part in Prince William's life

    When the Duke of Cambridge was introduced to Matt Smith, the actor who would play his grandfather in The Crown, at a charity event a few years ago, he was asked if he had any advice. “Just one word,” came the reply. “Legend.” The Duke of Edinburgh was a huge presence in Prince William’s life, playing a critical role as mentor, role model and sounding board. Both of similar temperaments, pragmatic, plain speaking and quick witted, the Duke saw a lot of himself in his grandson. He is thought to have felt assured that the institution of the monarchy, to which he had dedicated almost his entire adult life, was in safe hands. From their adoration of Africa to their environmental interests, their love of sailing, horses and polo, the two men shared many common interests. Both were pilots and passionate about shooting and land management. Their relationship was strengthened following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, when the Duke immediately took on the role of staunch defender.

  • Arizona Is Already in a New Normal

    Bill Clark/GettyEach night at precisely 8 p.m., in the Mule Mountains of Arizona and the quirky town of Bisbee, a joyful fracas echoes across the steep walls of Tombstone Canyon. Some howl, some bark, some yip, like scattered coyotes caterwauling in the desert night.At the start of the pandemic, this ritual was like many across the country, fashioned as a vocal appreciation of frontline health-care workers risking their lives to care for the tens of thousands of people battling COVID-19 in health clinics and hospitals.Now, it feels like something else. A release. A clearing of the cobwebs that have for the past year cluttered the imaginations and inclinations of shut-ins everywhere. A roaring call to reawaken the lively spirit that courses through the veins of this old mining town, back to bustling outdoor dining and racing up and down the staircases that snake from one funky little tucked in house to the next, back to packed bars and roof-shaking rowdy live music. The spirit of these nightly calls, now, is “We’re back.” Or maybe, “We’re still here.”Thanks in part to a prevalent laissez-faire attitude from citizens and government officials alike, Arizona has been rocked by the pandemic, often finding itself in the dubious category of states with the highest rate of transmission, cases per capita, and deaths. In mid-January, the state led the world in average new confirmed COVID-19 cases per capita.When I flew into Phoenix in early November for a quick stay at the charming Hermosa Inn, it was with plenty of trepidation, despite the consistency of mask-wearing and careful restaurant and hotel policies I saw throughout Maricopa County. When I returned for a road trip across the state this month, the vibe had clearly shifted, the tension I could once read in the eyes of masked service workers markedly softer.I barreled straight through Las Vegas and into Phoenix, stopping for a few nights at dispersed camping spots near mountain bike trailheads before heading on for a few nights in hip Tucson and then south to Bisbee, near the Mexican border. As a glimpse at the near-term future of post-pandemic travel, Arizona is a fascinating petri dish, a state with ample Trump supporters and COVID deniers but newly outnumbered by progressive city dwellers who helped flip the state from red to blue in the 2020 election. While travelers were far less likely to don masks in small towns like Bisbee and far more likely to do so in the capital the tone throughout has clearly morphed, from wariness to a refreshing brand of ease.Small towns were consistently the most relaxed, both in the fall and on this trip. Maybe half the travelers I saw strolling the shops of Bisbee were maskless, a number much lower than in Phoenix and Tucson, where even as new case counts dropped from a seven-day average in January that soared above 10,000 to just 630 at the beginning of April, most travelers and nearly all service workers were vigilant.Last fall, restaurant servers and hotel clerks had unmistakeable looks on their faces as they served tapas and tacos on outdoor patios, looks that said “I get to either risk my life to serve people food or lose my job.” On this trip, the cheeriness had returned, even as the masks remained.I stayed at several hotels across the state, both in November and March. In November, the Hermosa Inn, nestled into the Camelback Mountains north of Phoenix, was at maybe half its peak occupancy, by the looks of it. Now, the hotel is selling out night after night, says Director of Guest Experience Pam Swartz, with guests arriving from across the country.On my first night in Bisbee, I had dinner at Contessa’s Cantina, but only after a 20-minute wait. At gas stations throughout the state, patrons and clerks alike milled about maskless, a circumstance that would have driven me straight out of the store last year but that induced little more than an eye roll this spring. On hiking trails, where I’ve regularly seen people wear masks throughout the pandemic, trekkers were far more likely to breathe free, and I caught no glares for blazing by on a mountain bike with my own face unsheathed.At other hotels, people wore masks at all of them and shared elevators at none of them, but pools were open, mask-free, and packed. My girlfriend recounted walking into a bathroom at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn in Scottsdale to discover a woman at the sink, whose mask had fallen beneath her nose. She apologized, adding “clearly, my body is done with this,” meaning the mask, or the pandemic, or all of it.A couple nights later, a curious bellhop at the Omni Montelucia, his mask unapologetically below his nose, nearly climbed into my newly built camper van and peppered me with questions about what it was like to live in it, petting my exuberant pup before giving us a ride in a golf cart to the room. We were outside, so I didn’t mind the protocol slip. Masks had begun to feel obligatory and unnecessary, even though I know they’re not actually either. But this is how the new normal is playing out: we’re abiding by the rules, but less because we’re terrified and more because we’ve become accustomed to them, because we know the social order demands it, and because it’s the right thing to do.The last time I entered a public sauna was back in my hometown of Portland in March. The pandemic was new and real and scary but the yoga studio and spa I’d bought a monthlong membership to had enacted careful disinfecting protocols and I felt if I entered the space, I’d be alone and safe. What I wasn’t was welcome. The front desk clerk was clearly confused and probably terrified that I was selfish enough to visit a spa at the onset of a viral outbreak we didn’t know much about at the time, other than it was killing people at a rapid pace.Her concern wasn’t lost on me, and though I did go on a few short trips mostly by road and mostly by myself in the coming year, I did so as carefully as I could, and with people risking their lives to serve me in mind. I secured a COVID test and traveled to Hawaii in November, following to the letter the protocols outlined by local and state lawmakers to safely but cautiously reopen tourism, even as across the country covid counts were surging and traveling around the holidays was roundly shamed. My logic for the trip to Hawaii was that I’d arrive with a negative test result in hand, I’d be moving about in a state with the lowest case count in the nation, and I’d be supporting businesses that desperately needed my money.I felt welcomed in Hawaii, but nervously. No one really knew then whether even the most careful reopening of a state (that took the pandemic more seriously than any other) would be a sound idea. I was part of an experiment, and the tension I felt as a traveler was palpable.Now, I don’t feel that tension at all. That’s not to say travel is safe, even now that I’m halfway vaccinated. Cases in several states across the U.S. are surging, driven largely by a COVID variant my vaccine might or might not protect against. The CDC has issued confusing maxims in recent days about whether it’s OK to travel once you have a vaccine, and there are plenty of reasons to stay home, or at least stay off of airplanes.Barring another significant surge in cases that leads to overwhelmed hospitals and overwhelming deaths, that’s unlikely. Hotels across the country saw their highest occupancy rates since the start of the pandemic, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts CEO Geoff Ballotti said on CNBC. Spring break in Arizona was officially canceled at most colleges and universities, to avoid the mayhem that took place in locales like Miami. Events, like baseball spring training and festivals that typically lure visitors to the state, aren’t happening. But still, says Swartz, people are coming in droves. “They’re golfing, dining out, the restaurants in town are booming,” she said. Swartz went to dinner at a Scottsdale restaurant, Grassroots, for her birthday on Tuesday. Every table was full.Mandy Heflin’s fresh seafood business, Chula Seafood, survived the pandemic in part because the restaurant’s counter-service model made the transition to take-out only seamless. Now, her challenge isn’t finding customers; it’s finding employees willing to work. “There’s just no one coming in,” she said. “We’re putting ads out that normally would lead to five or 10 applicants per ad. Now it’s nothing.”Arizona is in its high season now, pleasantly warm and not yet searing to its infamous 115-degree summer temperatures. If, as officials are now predicting, a fourth surge in COVID cases is coming, that might coincide with the natural slowdown in summer tourist traffic, as the lah-dee-dah feeling I experienced last month melts away in the heat.If nothing else, I hope the nightly howls of Bisbee don’t abate anytime soon.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • 'Fear TWD' showrunners said star was 'disappointed' and 'heartbroken' by the big reveal on Sunday's mid-season premiere

    Insider speaks with "Fear the Walking Dead" showrunners about the decision behind the mid-season premiere's unexpected turn of events.

  • Gaetz and Trump rep challenge report that the Florida congressman was denied a meeting with the former president

    Gaetz and Trump rep. Jason Miller contradicted CNN's report that Gaetz was denied a meeting with the former president.

  • Biden nominee Wormuth would be first woman to lead Army

    President Joe Biden plans to nominate Christine Wormuth, a former senior Pentagon official, to be the first woman to lead the Army, the White House said Monday. If confirmed by the Senate as Army secretary, Wormuth would be one of the more powerful officials in a defense establishment long dominated by men.

  • Black Army officer pepper-sprayed by police said he thought he could be murdered as officers gave quickly changing commands

    Lt. Caron Nazario was shocked at the "possibility that the Defendants may murder him because he could not comply with their inconsistent demands."

  • Water-worried Vegas wants useless grass a thing of the past

    A desert city built on a reputation for excess and indulgence wants to become a model for restraint and conservation with a first-in-the-nation policy banning grass that nobody walks on. Las Vegas-area water officials have spent two decades trying to get people to replace thirsty greenery with desert plants, and now they're asking the Nevada Legislature to outlaw roughly 40% of the turf that's left. The Southern Nevada Water Authority estimates there are almost 8 square miles (21 square kilometers) of “nonfunctional turf" in the metro area — grass that no one ever walks on or otherwise uses in street medians, housing developments and office parks.

  • Officer who pepper-sprayed U.S. Army officer fired

    A Virginia police officer accused of pepper-spraying and pointing a gun at a uniformed U.S. Army officer during a traffic stop has been fired from the force.Video of the encounter became public after Leutenant Caron Nazario, who is Latino and Black, filed a federal lawsuit against two cops over the December encounter.A statement from the Town of Windsor on Sunday said its police department reviewed the incident and determined that Officer Joe Gutierrez did not follow police department protocol.It said Gutierrez was terminated and that the force would require additional department-wide training.The Army Lieutenant was driving his new SUV with a temporary paper tag displayed on the back window on December 5th, when he was told to pull over in Windsor, a small Virginia town.Nazario alleged the officers violated his constitutional rights, with his lawsuit including assault, illegal search and illegal detention.Virginia Governor Ralph Northam on Sunday said he was directing the Virginia State Police to conduct an independent investigation into the case.The statement from Windsor did not detail any breaches or punishments for the other officer involved in the incident.

  • Tens of thousands flee Myanmar town after crackdown leaves 100 protesters dead

    Tens of thousands have fled the central Myanmar town of Bago after the military regime brutally attacked anti-coup protesters at the weekend, leaving at least 100 dead. Residents told Radio Free Asia that many people were seeking refuge from the junta’s violence in villages in the surrounding countryside. “The people fleeing their homes are residents of four neighborhoods in the city where the junta forces attacked,” said one woman who declined to give her name. “There must be over 100,000 or so.” The reports echo a similar exodus from Yangon, the Southeast nation’s commercial centre, last month after another deadly crackdown on six of the city’s townships, and the introduction of martial law. Some of the neighbourhoods had descended into battlezones, with protesters firing sling shots and throwing petrol bombs, and the security forces targeting them with live rounds and killing scores of civilians.