Michael Daly is a special correspondent with The Daily Beast. He was previously a columnist with the New York Daily News and a staff writer with New York magazine. He was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2002 and has received numerous awards. He is the author of Under Ground and The Book of Mychal. His third book, Topsy, was released in 2013.
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AMERICAN TRAGEDY
Bertha Mendoza, 56, was the go-to baker for special occasion cakes in Erwin, Tennessee. She died Friday morning while working at a local plastics factory during Hurricane Helene.
‘TERRORISM’
A 20-year-old would-be cop is using TikTok to share horror stories from Hurricane Helene, but it’s not clear that they’re all true.
‘OH S**T!’
“He was not a real cop,” said a retired NYC Transit Police officer who was as real as they come.
opinion
MATERIAL GIRL
Court documents filed in the case against Linda Sun and her husband show a lavish life allegedly paid for by the Chinese government.
opinion
TRUTH TO POWER
Nebraska State Sen. Michael McDonnell refused to support a measure that would have changed the way his state allocates its Electoral College votes. Trump’s ire soon followed.
‘I JUST SCREAMED’
Though Sean Combs was acquitted, Natania Reuben claims the rapper escaped justice over the 1999 shooting. This time, it’s different.
opinion
SHOW OF UNITY
One way we can honor the lives of those who died is by extending moments of unity—like the one we witnessed for far too brief a time on Wednesday.
exclusive
‘MINUTE MAN’
“At that moment in time, he was absolutely ready to go to or to be called up to defend his kids, our school, our community and this nation,” one fellow teacher also recalled.
opinion
OVER HIS HEAD
Colin Gray was arrested Thursday for “knowingly allowing his son, Colt, to possess a weapon.”