Shrey Parikh, 14, dominated the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee, beating out 246 qualified participants in this year’s tournament. The California resident flew to Washington, D.C., to compete after coming up short every year since 2022. In his last year of age eligibility, Parikh’s performance was monumental. He beat runner-up Ishaan Gupta, 12, with a whopping 32 words spelled correctly in 90 seconds in the competition’s third-ever spell-off, claiming his victory. He expressed feeling nervous— sometimes even shaking on stage—but ultimately sticking to his gut throughout the competition. “I just reminded myself that I needed to trust my instincts,” the champion said. The word that made Parikh the most nervous was Bhubaneswar, an ancient eastern Indian city. When he made it to the spell-off final round, he knew he had a solid chance at taking home the title. “Spelling fast is what I do every day, so you know the spell-off kind of came naturally, and it was just another day of spelling,” he said. Once practicing his spelling five hours a day, Parikh now looks forward to allocating his newfound free time to the spelling community through coaching and participating in math competitions.

President Donald Trump’s special assistant and director of media affairs has said she is departing the White House to establish her own media booking and communications consultancy, Cornerstone Strategics. Sonny Joy Nelson, a staunch MAGA supporter, has worked with Trump since his 2024 campaign and has held communications roles within the president’s political orbit since 2020. The North Carolina native announced in March that she is pregnant with her second child, a baby boy due in October. “Sonny is the best media booker in the business—and it’s not even close,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who gave birth to a baby girl this month, said in a statement to Axios. “But, most importantly, she is well respected by everyone she works with because she’s a hard worker and a great person,” Leavitt added. Nelson told Axios that her firm is “inspired by Jesus as the cornerstone of my life” and that its goal is to “create media that not only looks good, but communicates something real and lasting.” Nelson is an outspoken Christian and an anti-abortion advocate. A replacement for Nelson’s role has not yet been announced. The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.

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Cannabis and THC treats now come in more forms than ever. Now, Batch is adding another to the mix: micro mints. Small, discreet, and precisely dosed, these micro mints are made for people who want to experience THC’s uplifting effects without the heavy-handedness that comes with traditional edibles like gummies, baked goods, and even beverages. Whether you’re new to THC or have been burned in the past by edibles that hit a little harder than expected, Batch’s micro mints deliver a smoother, more controlled experience.

Micro Mints

30 mints per tin

Shop At BATCH

Each mint delivers just 1mg of THC and 1mg of full-spectrum CBD. For comparison, Batch’s least potent blend of gummies (Uplift) contains 5mg of THC and 5mg of CBD. The low dose of these mints makes it easy to start slow and stack your dose one mint at a time. After taking one mint, you’ll notice a subtle mood lift that kicks in as fast as 15 minutes, versus 45 minutes for gummies. On top of being peppermint flavored, the mints are sugar-free and contain no seed oils, gluten, dairy, or soy. They even come packaged in a sleek (and discreet) tin that slips into a pocket, purse, or gym bag. You can pick one tin up for $35 or subscribe and save up to 42 percent and get free shipping.

New details have emerged about NHL legend Claude Lemieux’s final hours following his death at age 60. The NHL Alumni Association announced Lemieux’s death on Thursday but did not disclose a cause. TMZ later reported that the four-time Stanley Cup champion died by suicide. According to the outlet, Lemieux was found around 3 a.m. on Thursday morning after family members became concerned that he had not returned home on Wednesday night. One of his sons reportedly discovered him in the rear warehouse of Andros Home, the furniture company Lemieux co-owned with his wife, Deborah. It remains unclear which of Lemieux’s three sons found him. The former NHL star is survived by sons Christopher, 37, Michael, 34, and Brendan, 30, as well as daughter Claudia, 29. His youngest son, Brendan, posted on social media to pay tribute to his dad. Alongside a photo showing the three generations of Lemieux men, he wrote, “I love you dad! My son’s favorite person is going to watch from above for a while. We will see you.” The ex-NHL player also shared another snap of his dad, and his son captioned: “His favorite person in the world.”

If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing or texting 988.

Four passengers were rushed to the hospital on Thursday after an apparent air-conditioning malfunction on a plane at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport caused them to suffer heat-related illnesses, authorities said. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded after several passengers aboard a GlobalX flight bound for Louisiana became ill while the aircraft remained on the tarmac preparing for departure, according to Local 10 News. Video captured by the station’s Sky 10 helicopter showed emergency crews removing passengers from the plane on stretchers and transporting them to ambulances. Fire rescue officials said four people required hospital treatment. Witnesses and officials cited by Local 10 News reported that some passengers lost consciousness as temperatures inside the cabin rose. The flight was operated by GlobalX, also known as Global Crossing Airlines, a Miami-based charter carrier that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has previously used for deportation flights, as President Donald Trump carries out his immigration crackdown. It was not immediately clear whether ICE was using the aircraft at the time of the incident. Airport operations were unaffected, and the remaining passengers later departed for Louisiana on a replacement aircraft. Authorities said an investigation is ongoing.

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Unless you’ve got the memory of an elephant, taking notes is a must. Remarkable has built a name for itself with innovative tablets that cut out distracting apps and focus on productivity. In fact, a study by Remarkable found that users experience 35 percent less stress and 20 percent more focus when using a paper tablet compared with working on a PC. Today, the brand is unveiling a new offering—the Remarkable Paper Pure.

The new 10.3-inch model is a marked improvement in every way. The battery is longer lasting (up to three weeks on a single charge), it features a crisper black-and-white canvas display, and it is 50 percent faster than the Remarkable 2. Like its predecessor, writing on the Remarkable Pure Paper is, well, remarkable. It feels just like writing on paper with the digital ink appearing in as little as 21 milliseconds—faster than the blink of an eye.

Remarkable Paper Pure Paper Tablet

Buy At Remarkable

The custom-made marker can be used as a ballpoint pen, pencil, or even highlighter. Plus, since the tablet is held together with screws and snaps, not glue, repairs aren’t a headache for professionals.

Need a weekly planner? There’s a template for that. Want a notebook with ruled lines? There’s a template for that, too. You can even connect with productivity apps like Outlook, Slack, Google Drive, and OneDrive to pick up writing on your laptop. Whether you’re using it for work, school, or just as a journal, the Paper Pure is an all-in-one note-taking device.

A man being transported to court in England escaped from a custody vehicle and was struck and killed by a train, police have confirmed. The man, who was in his 40s, fled a transport contractor’s van while it was stationary on a major highway north of London, according to a joint statement from Hertfordshire Police and British Transport Police. Two members of transport staff were injured “during an altercation in the van” and were taken to hospital by ambulance. Officers searching the area were called to a casualty on the tracks near a train station in Hertfordshire, a county roughly 20 miles north of London, at around 9:40 a.m. local time. The man had been in custody at a police station in the town of Stevenage before being placed in the vehicle. Formal identification has not taken place, but the man’s family has been notified. Hertfordshire Police has referred the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the body that oversees investigations into British law enforcement. The incident caused widespread disruption to rail services running from London through the region, with multiple lines delayed before tracks were eventually reopened. Inquiries are continuing “to establish the full circumstances,” police said.

American vacation plans are being pared back as rising costs and surging fuel prices squeeze travel budgets. Though the number of Americans making summer plans has risen to 73 percent, up from 66 percent last year, according to a survey by transportation company Enterprise Mobility, 89 percent are choosing to stay within the U.S. According to travel adviser Erica Christie, who spoke to Axios, travelers are shifting toward shorter trips to the Carolinas, New England, and California. Trips to Asheville, North Carolina, have surged 174 percent, while travel to South Carolina is up 157 percent, according to the global travel agency Fora. If travelers can afford to head to Europe, they are increasingly swapping popular destinations such as the Amalfi Coast for more affordable and lesser-known alternatives like Montenegro and Malta. For city breaks, expensive hotspots like Paris, Rome, and London are being replaced with cheaper alternatives such as Brussels and Dublin, according to Christie. Rising oil prices, driven by the continued blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, have left airlines worldwide scrambling to stay afloat, with travelers often facing higher ticket prices and increased baggage fees. “People are very hesitant to make long-term bookings,” Virginia Tech hospitality and tourism professor Mahmood Khan told Axios.

Southwest Airlines has changed its controversial policy for plus-size passengers, saying they are no longer required to buy an extra seat. “In cases where adjacent seats are available, our airport agents are empowered to provide an additional seat at no extra cost to customers who require one,” the airline said in a statement to Newsweek, adding that if a seat is not available, passengers will be accommodated on a later flight. The policy came into effect late last week, according to ABC News. On Tuesday, the airline received positive feedback from a plus-size TikToker, who said in a video that she had received the “best news ever” and that passengers “no longer have to pre-purchase the seat.” The influencer thanked the airline for “listening to us” in the caption. Southwest faced criticism over a January policy change that required plus-size passengers who could not fit comfortably in a single seat, with both armrests lowered, to purchase an additional adjacent seat before flying or face consequences at the airport, including paying the day-of rate, which is often very high. The old policy has not been updated on the airline’s website. The Daily Beast has reached out to Southwest Airlines for comment.

Scooter Braun says he still doesn’t understand how he became one of Taylor Swift’s biggest villains. The former music manager revisited the controversy surrounding Swift’s masters in a rare interview, insisting the pair barely knew each other before his acquisition of Big Machine Label Group sparked years of backlash. “I don’t know Taylor Swift,” Braun said on the Second Thought podcast. “I think I’ve met her in my life three times. I have never had a substantial conversation with her in my life.” Braun became a target for Swift fans in 2019 when he acquired the label that owned the master recordings of her first six albums. Swift later embarked on her hugely successful project to re-make the records. But Braun said he remains baffled by the fallout. “You don’t spend $300 million buying a label that she’s on unless you’re excited at the opportunity to work with her,” he said. “I will never truly understand that situation.” Braun said the pair had only one meaningful interaction before the deal, recalling that Swift once invited him to a private party. “To this day, I wish her nothing but the best,” he said.

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As someone who is physically addicted to lip balm but also staunchly opposed to sticky lip gloss, it’s safe to say that I’m a tough critic when it comes to lip formulas. Despite my dependency on an emotional support lineup of lip balms, oils, and treatments, I’m surprisingly discerning—especially during the summertime, when thick, tacky glosses somehow manage to attract every strand of hair within a five-mile radius.

Like many of us, I’m also constantly trying to create the illusion of a fuller pout, but I don’t always have the time, patience, or upper-body strength to execute a full overlined lip routine complete with matte liner, strategic shading, and a lacquered gloss topper.

Fortunately, Mutha’s new peptide-powered lip gloss streamlines the multi-step process, delivering skincare-level plumping ingredients, a sheer wash of color, and a non-sticky high-shine finish in a single swipe.

Mutha Pucker Up Lip Plumping Gloss

Shop At Mutha$35

Known for its cult-favorite body butters and anti-aging body care, this new launch marks Mutha’s first foray into color cosmetics. The new Pucker Up Lip Plump Gloss is infused with Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, a collagen-supporting peptide known for its smoothing and plumping benefits, along with hydrating hyaluronic acid to help keep lips soft, moisturized, and juicy for hours.

The formula has a lightweight, cushiony texture that leaves lips looking visibly fuller and healthier while still feeling nourishing and comfortable to wear throughout the day. Unlike conventional plumping glosses that rely on circulation-boosting irritants like peppermint oil or chili pepper-derived capsicum to temporarily swell the lips, Mutha’s plumping gloss is completely sting-free.

The new gloss is available in three sheer, wearable shades: Almond Mom, a warm nude; Not So Vanilla, a flushed pink; and Talk Cherry To Me, a juicy sheer red that delivers the perfect bitten-lip effect. If you’re looking for a fuss-free lip plumper that also doubles as a hydration-boosting balm, consider your search over.

Eight students were stranded for hours on Thursday atop Pleasure Pier’s Iron Shark roller coaster in Galveston, Texas—a ride towering 100 feet above the pier. Fire crews were called to the scene at around 5:37 p.m., and the amusement park was closed during the rescue operation. The students, who were on a school field trip, became trapped after the ride suddenly malfunctioned and came to a stop, according to ABC 7. The final rider was rescued after 8 p.m., roughly three hours after the malfunction occurred. Firefighters used a ladder truck to reach the riders, who were left suspended at a near-90-degree angle several stories above the ground. Rescue crews removed each rider individually, securing them before lowering them into a basket attached to the top of the ladder. Student Cayce Escobar, who spoke with ABC 7 and was next in line for the ride, said the roller coaster made “a big bang” noise before suddenly stopping. Escobar said the ride operator then tried pressing several buttons before telling everyone waiting in line to leave the area. “We are grateful that all students, staff, and chaperones are safe,” the Houston Independent School District said in a statement.

Rescue crews in Alaska raced Thursday to reach four climbers who fell while climbing Mount McKinley, North America’s tallest mountain, in an overnight incident. The National Park Service said park rangers received a report around midnight that four members of a seven-person climbing team had fallen near Denali Pass, a section of the mountain at approximately 18,200 feet. The condition of the climbers remained unknown as of Thursday, the agency said in a press release. After attending to their fallen teammates, the three other members of the climbing team returned to High Camp at 17,000 feet, according to the National Park Service. A rescue operation remained underway Thursday, with officials saying improving weather conditions would allow helicopter operations. “The National Park Service is actively responding to the incident,” the agency said in a news release, adding that its focus remained on rescue efforts and notifying family members. “Additional details will be released when they are confirmed and appropriate to share.” The National Weather Service reported isolated snow showers on Mount McKinley on Wednesday, and said strong winds at higher elevations could reduce visibility and create additional challenges for climbers. The weather was forecast to ease through the weekend.