Latest news with #DailyBeast
Int'l Business Times
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
American Who Moved His Family to Russia to Dodge 'Woke' US Policies Finds Himself On Front Lines in Ukraine: 'Thrown to the Wolves'
A Texas man who moved his family to Russia hoping to dodge what he called "woke" American policies has been sent to the front lines of the war in Ukraine. Derek Huffman, 46, planned to join the military in a non-combat role as a welder after moving to Russia earlier this year with his wife and three children. However, his wife said that he has since ended up on the front lines after after joining the Russian military to help speed up his track to citizenship, Euromaiden Press reported. In a now-deleted video to the family's YouTube page, where Huffman and his wife DeAnna post about their life living in Russia, DeAnna asked for prayers after revealing where her husband was told he was "going straight to the front lines" after completing limited training in Russian, according to the Daily Beast. "He feels like he's being thrown to the wolves right now, and he's kind of having to lean on faith, and that's what we're all doing," DeAnna said. The family previously shared a clip of Derek in his military attire from Father's Day, in which he shared he was hoping for a "vacation" soon. "I can't wait to see you, hopefully I get a vacation at some point and I get to go home and spend a couple of weeks with you," he said. "But man, you're on my mind 24/7 and just know that what I'm doing is important to me and important to our family. Just know I will do whatever it takes to be safe and to come home to you. Take care of each other." On their social media pages, the Huffman family has praised a program by American media personality Tim Kirby allowing Americans to move to the country. He previously called Russia "a country that respects family values" after claiming that "woke ideology" was taking over the U.S., as reported by the Daily Mail. Meanwhile, DeAnna shared that her family allegedly has not been paid yet for Derek's time in the military. Originally published on Latin Times
Cosmopolitan
2 days ago
- General
- Cosmopolitan
How Prince George's title will change when Prince William becomes King
When Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96, her son Prince Charles immediately ditched his "Prince of Wales" title and became King Charles III, leaving his former title up for grabs by Prince William. And it looks like history will almost definitely repeat itself once Prince William levels up to King William, thereby opening up the title for his son Prince George. But! There are some things to consider before jumping to the conclusion that George will take on this fancy new title as soon as his dad is king. For starters... Prince William will morph into King William pretty much the second King Charles passes away, and in that moment the title "Prince of Wales" will technically "ceases to exist," according to Brittanica. It sounds very dramatic, but honestly it's more like the "Prince of Wales" title is simply put on ice to stay chill (and readily available) until the King decides to bestow it upon someone. In other words: No one is becoming the Prince of Wales until King William is good and ready for them to be, mmkay! And has done so since the 1300s! In the case of future King William, the heir apparent will obviously be Prince George since he's the eldest son of Prince William and Kate Middleton. But depending on when William becomes a king, Prince George could still be pretty young when the "Prince of Wales" title is technically ready for him to take on. Which begs the question... Again, George is only 11 years old and the Waleses have made it clear they hope to keep their kids out of the spotlight as much as possible, for as long as possible. That said, there isn't a minimum age requirement when it comes to being Prince of Wales (King Charles was only 10 years old when Queen Elizabeth granted him the title), and monarchs typically bestow the honour right away. King Charles waited just one day after his mother's death to make Prince William and Kate Middleton the Prince and Princess of Wales. This title traditionally goes to the eldest son of the monarch and doesn't need to be formally granted, it just sort of happens the moment the previous Duke of Cornwall becomes King. And when George does become the Duke of Cornwall, he'll gain possession of the Duchy of Cornwall, which is a multi million dollar money making machine. (Note: It's unclear what happens if George gets the Duchy of Cornwall before the age of 18—other than him becoming one of the richest kids in Britain). Oh and before we go, George's siblings likely won't be getting much in the way of titles (Princess Charlotte could become "Princess Royal" one day, TBD), but that's how their parents want it. It turns out Kate and William do not sound here for their younger children being working royals and hope Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will forge their own paths. As an insider put it to the Daily Beast, 'The working assumption is that the younger two children will get on and do their own thing. They will be encouraged to not become working royals." They added that Wills and Kate have a "deliberate strategy to let Charlotte and Louis choose their own destiny." Nice for some! *camera pans to George* Mehera Bonner is a celebrity and entertainment news writer who enjoys Bravo and Antiques Roadshow with equal enthusiasm, She was previously entertainment editor at Marie Claire and has covered pop culture for over a decade.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Desperate Royals Tried to Censor Leaked King's Funeral Plans
Buckingham Palace's top aides are in a tailspin after leaked plans for the death of King Charles made it into the media—sparking a huge censorship operation to 'contain the spill.' The leak to The Daily Telegraph revealed details including how Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, would be central to the current British monarch's funeral—something officials are actively planning as he battles cancer. It comes despite the public fracturing of the king's relationship with his younger son, who has also been at loggerheads with brother William. Prince William will have become king by the time of Charles' funeral. Plans for the funeral, code-named 'London Bridge,' are the most sensitive of royal secrets, meticulously planned by courtiers and ultimately overseen by the king himself. When the Telegraph published the revelations on its front page with the headline 'Prince Harry and Meghan at heart of King's funeral plans,' it was the first substantive insight British papers had given their readers into an event of world significance. But as soon as it was published, courtiers began an extraordinary operation to stop word of any future reconciliation spreading, even though the Daily Beast can disclose that the leak originated from within Buckingham Palace's planning operation. Insiders say the remarkable episode offers an insight into the kind of 'iron fist in a velvet glove' activities that take place behind the curtain of the British royal family as it seeks to control the narrative around the institution. Multiple sources have told the Daily Beast that the king's most senior spin doctor, Tobyn Andreae, 'had a meltdown on the phone' to editors at The Telegraph, a reliably pro-monarchy publication, about its London Bridge story. 'These new details about London Bridge, including that Harry and Meghan will be invited for central roles and that the mourning period will be shortened, had found their way to the Telegraph exclusively,' said a well-placed Fleet Street source. 'There was a conversation with the palace's communications team ahead of publication. Tobyn [Andreae] was very, very, unhappy. He was involved directly and lobbied the Telegraph for more than 24 hours to try and influence the timing and terms of publication.' But, explained a second source, a senior journalist with knowledge of the situation, its editors did not 'wish to be controlled.' That 'went down badly' with Andreae, who was 'very resistant to the publication.' The source said, 'There was a heated phone call. In the end, the view was taken that the paper needed to protect its editorial independence, and it decided to publish its scoop when it wanted to, which from Tobyn's [Andreae's] point of view was premature.' It was then, however, that a censorship operation swung into action, according to a source who said Andraea tried to 'contain the spill.' Andreae used a WhatsApp text message group with other journalists who cover the royal family for British newspapers and television networks—a group known as the 'royal rota'—to trash the Telegraph story and say there would be consequences for any outlet that used the information. In one message seen by the Daily Beast, marked 'not for reporting in any form,' Andreae, a former senior editor at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, criticized the article as 'unconscionable' and 'downright offensive,' given King Charles is currently battling cancer, and warned that outlets which repeated its detail were 'unlikely to receive assistance' in future. In what Andreae described as a 'gentle advisory' message to the group, which has around 15 members, and the 'international rota' group, which has around 30, he wrote: 'While we won't be drawn on the details or accuracy of the claims, the bridges plans are not yet finalised and there is no active planning underway outside of the entirely routine business you will all be familiar takes place for all family members. 'Speculation about demise planning is deeply distasteful in normal circumstances—but downright offensive given that HMK [His Majesty the King] is living with cancer, continuing with treatment… and doing extremely well on it, as you will all have seen from past weeks and months. 'This sort of article is therefore unconscionable, no matter how 'sensitively framed'. It is also a breach of the clear understanding that in order to for us to be able to assist media with operational planning, royal reporters do not write speculative pieces about Bridges planning, whatever the source.' Andreae's threat of removed 'assistance', sent to the influential group of royal rota correspondents, had the intended effect. No other British outlet repeated the details printed in the Telegraph, despite its reputation as an establishment newspaper with reliable royal sources. Some of the details were repeated in the U.S. media. Alongside claims about the Sussexes, the paper revealed that King Charles' 'lifelong dedication to the environment is expected to be recognised with the incorporation of sustainable elements wherever possible,' and that the period of national mourning would last from the day of his death to the day of his funeral, rather than an additional week as was the case when Queen Elizabeth II died in Sept. 2022. The censorship bid was mounted before another bombshell hit the royals: a further leak, this time of a supposed 'peace summit' between the king's courtiers and Prince Harry's aides. Late Saturday, details of a meeting Andreae had at an exclusive London club, of which he is a member, with Meredith Maines, who runs general and media operations for the Sussexes in the U.S., and Liam Maguire, who runs their communications operation in the U.K., appeared in an exclusive report in the Mail on Sunday. Images of the summit were captured in long-lens photographs taken by a well-informed photographer from the paper, whose publisher Harry is presently suing for allegedly hacking his phone and other unlawful information gathering dating back 30 years. The paper denies the allegations. Buckingham Palace and The Daily Telegraph failed to respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for the Sussexes said they never comment on London Bridge planning.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Czech spy dupes Dutch mom for a decade
Imagine discovering that the man claiming to be your long-lost son is no relation at all, but is in fact a foreign spy. In A Spy in the Family: A True Story of Espionage and Betrayal, Paul Henderson and David Gardner give a fascinating account of Václav Jelínek, a spy from the former Czechoslovakia whose life intersected with a Dutch mother's quest to find the son that she had left behind years earlier. Henderson is an investigative journalist and award-winning editor; Gardner is currently the chief national correspondent for the Daily Beast in Washington, D.C., and has worked for the Daily Mail as a crime writer and senior foreign correspondent. Johanna van Haarlem was young and unmarried when she became pregnant by a German officer in the Netherlands in 1944. Her father was friendly with the Nazi invaders, but he refused to accept the half-German baby into the family. Joanna reluctantly left the child at a Czech orphanage, hoping they would soon be reunited. Years later, after her father had died, van Haarlem heard the Red Cross had located her son. Although the man calling himself Erwin van Haarlem had brown eyes rather than the bright blue that she remembered, she accepted him as the son that she had not seen in decades. For the next 10 years, Johanna treated the man calling himself Erwin as a treasured member of the family, showering him with gifts and attention. Meanwhile, as a spy codenamed Gragart, the man was acting as a 'sleeper,' trying to blend in with the locals while searching for information on nuclear weapons and the British royal family. He lived a double life, receiving gifts and money from Johanna while trying to keep his own identity and mission secret. Eventually, however, the false Erwin van Haarlem became overconfident of his skills and frustrated with playing the part of Johanna's son. He became careless, and MI5 agents investigating the case finally identified him as a Czech man named Václav Jelínek, whose parents still lived in the village where he had been born. The spy was arrested, tried and convicted of espionage. Although devastated by the news that she had spent so much time and effort on an imposter, Johanna was still determined to find her real son. She discovered the boy had been adopted by a caring family and had lived a happy and stable life. The two were soon in contact, and Johanna could finally have the reunion that she had wanted. While the imposter was deported to his home country in shame following his incarceration, Johanna had the satisfaction of having fulfilled her life's goal. A Spy in the Family is a well-written and compelling story of Cold War espionage and its effects on ordinary people. Although the authors' use of all three of the spy's names can be confusing at times, this tactic helps to emphasize the many facets of the fraud. It's well worth reading for fans of historical works and spy stories. Susan Huebert is a Winnipeg writer and pet sitter.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
Top magazine editor reveals her chilling encounter with Epstein
Veteran editor Tina Brown has said she was left shaken after Jeffrey Epstein brazenly showed up inside her office without an appointment 15 years ago. Recalling her encounter with Epstein, Tina said the disgraced financier had 'cold, snake-like eyes' and warned her to halt the Daily Beast's reporting on his abuse. Tina, who launched the Daily Beast alongside media mogul Barry Diller, said the chilling face-off came in 2010, just days after the outlet ran a major investigation into Epstein's sordid history and suspicious plea deal. She told the Daily Beast Podcast: 'He said, "Just stop". And he looked at me with this kind of snake eyes, cold, and it was menacing. It was really menacing. And he pointed his finger and he said, "Just stop". 'It was a very chilling experience. I mean, it was scary, actually.' The article, headlined 'Jeffrey Epstein, Billionaire Pedophile, Goes Free,' broke new ground by revealing how victims had told investigators they were as young as 12 when Epstein trafficked them - years before prosecutors brought federal charges. Before the uninvited visit, Tina said she'd already fielded calls from both Epstein and his attorney, trying to quash the story. She refused. But when she returned from lunch one day, she found him sitting in her office - having bypassed her security. She said: 'I was stunned. I stood at the door, aghast.' 'He was a master-class con man, so maybe he was just able always to kind of get what he wanted,' she added. Tina told him the reporting wouldn't stop – and that's when he dropped the threat. 'He said, "There will be consequences if you don't stop,"' she said. 'And he just got up, and he left my room.' Tina, who had crossed paths with Epstein during New York's glitzy social heyday in the '80s and '90s, said the disgraced financier's behavior during their brief office encounter made one thing clear: intimidation was his goal. At the time of the article, Epstein had already been convicted in Florida for soliciting a minor – but had served just 13 months in a county facility under a highly controversial deal that allowed him to spend most of his days outside the jail. It would take nearly another decade before he was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial, with the medical examiner ruling it a suicide. His death sparked widespread suspicion, political finger-pointing, and an ongoing storm of conspiracy theories. This comes just after the Justice Department announced it would not release further records related to the case, and denied the existence of a so-called 'client list' implicating powerful allies.
