Federal prosecutors have charged a longtime Republican campaign treasurer in Maryland with diverting funds for personal use—including the purchase of a fancy yacht. James Phillip Appel, 58, pleaded not guilty Monday to counts of wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors allege he redirected roughly $200,000 taken from a political figure and a nonprofit group to address debt tied to a Pacific Mariner 65 yacht. A judge released him pending trial with restrictions, barring him from opening new financial accounts. Investigators did not disclose further vessel details, though listings suggest values approaching $800,000. Officials say suspicious transfers began in 2023 and continued into 2024, moving money between campaign, organizational, and personal accounts in multiple transactions. “Today’s indictment confirms what many of us suspected,” Maryland Delegate Kathy Szeliga, an alleged victim of Appel’s, said in a statement. “As a trusted professional, political, and commercial treasurer, James Appel exploited that trust and stole from the very people he was hired to serve. It’s a betrayal beyond words.”

The head of a women’s wellness company known for promoting “orgasmic meditation” has been sentenced to nine years in prison. Nicole Daedone, the founder and former CEO of OneTaste, was jailed for her role in a forced labor conspiracy, where students and practitioners worked without pay. Rachel Cherwitz, the company’s former head of sales, was also sentenced to 78 months behind bars. They were accused of conspiring to coerce staff members to conduct tasks ranging from menial labor to sexual services for little to no pay. The two women were convicted by a federal jury in June last year. In Monday’s findings, the court also imposed a $12 million forfeiture money judgment against Daedone, and awarded more than $887,000 in restitution to seven victims of both women. Daedone, who sold her stake in OneTaste in 2017 for $12 million, and Cherwitz have been in a Brooklyn jail since their conviction last year. The women have been legally backed by MAGA figures including former Republican Matt Gaetz, who said last week “nobody was forced or restrained or otherwise threatened to continue participating.” Alan Dershowitz, who has been working as a consultant to Daedone’s legal team, claimed that similar charges could be made against religious organisations who made members work unpaid, then claim they were enslaved after quitting. Daedone’s Instagram account remains active while she is in jail, run by her team. Her Instagram bio currently reads “Storyteller. Erotic Artist. Lover. Sicilian. Presently Incarcerated.” Her account includes videos on prison meditation, recipes including prison sushi (made from commissary rice, jalapeño brine and Velveeta cheese) and an AI version of Nicole that claims to be the first artificial intelligence trained in full depth orgasmic meditation.

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I’ll admit it—before I tried the celebrity and supermodel-approved NuFace Facial contouring device for myself, I was pretty skeptical about its merits—some beauty editors have claimed that the tools give them an instant facelift-like effect in just five minutes. In general, I think there aren’t many non-injectable or in-office treatments (e.g., neurotoxins like Botox and dermal fillers like Juvederm) capable of contouring the cheekbones and slimming the jawline. But once I finally tried the microcurrent-powered facial tool myself back in 2020, I was pleasantly surprised by the results. I’ve been a loyal NuFace advocate ever since.

The NuFace Facial Toning devices are definitely an investment piece (there are several models to choose from, ranging from about $200 to $500 a pop), but if you’ve been meaning to get your hands on one but are hesitant about the hefty price tag, now’s your time to take the plunge. Select NuFace devices, attachments, and skincare are up to 20 percent off during Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, which ends tomorrow, March 31.

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Two long-term aestheticians founded NuFace, and each of the brand’s devices harnesses the contouring and lifting anti-aging powers of microcurrent technology. This modality delivers instant and long-term results by stimulating blood flow for an instant glow, toning your facial muscles for a more chiseled look, and providing an instant lift. Some people see an instant lifted and firmed effect after just a few passes, but you’ll see the best results after a few weeks of regular use.

NuFace devices very rarely go on sale, so this isn’t a sale to hold back on if you’re looking to save.

A routine day on the water turned abruptly surreal for a windsurfer who collided with a whale. Video circulating online shows the windsurfer being violently knocked off his board after slamming into a breaching gray whale off the California coast, sending him tumbling into the water in a split-second encounter. The windsurfer, identified as Eric Kramer, was riding near San Francisco when the whale surfaced directly in front of him. Footage shows him gliding across relatively calm water before the massive animal emerges, striking his board and launching him off. Kramer said he had already tried to adjust his behavior after spotting whales earlier. “It was a ‘whale’ of a day.. Please be cautious and respect wildlife, I had reduced my speed greatly bc I had seen a couple whales in the area but on my last run back it just popped up right in front of me. Glad we are both ok,” he wrote. He was not injured. The whale also appeared unharmed. Online, some questioned why he remained in the area at all. “I mean if you noticed them there, then why did you still decide to sail,” one commenter wrote. “Hmm- what happened to keeping back 300 ft from marine mammals?” another added.

A fight over an unpaid carry-on ended with three women being carted off a plane in handcuffs. Nafisa Dockery, 30, Davana Cochran, 26, and Dionjana Cochran, 21, were arrested Sunday night at Miami International Airport after deputies said they refused to pay for an extra bag on Frontier flight F9-1204 to Philadelphia. Gate staff spotted two carry-ons even though only one had been paid for, according to arrest reports cited by NBC Miami. After an argument at the gate, Dockery allegedly told the other two to ignore the employee and head onto the plane. The three then went through a restricted door and boarded anyway, deputies said. According to the report, Frontier told deputies the women could not fly and asked officers to remove them from the aircraft. The women then refused repeated orders to leave, forcing deputies to clear the plane before a brief struggle outside. Dockery was alleged to have spat on a person as they were leaving the plane. The trio ended up in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Deputies said the disruption held up the flight for about an hour.

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Whether you’ve been extra committed to your fitness routine in 2026, have a job that requires you to sit for the better part of your eight-hour shift, or are on your feet for the majority of the day, you may find yourself dealing with aches, stiffness, and soreness.

While over-the-counter oral pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medication can help relieve pain, if you’re looking for a topical remedy, Penetrex’s nurse and athlete-approved discomfort-relieving cream has you covered. Penetrex is known for its leading muscle and joint relief cream, which targets soreness and inflammation through its fast-acting transdermal delivery system that allows the active ingredients to penetrate deeply into the affected area.

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The cream is infused with a blend of natural soothing ingredients, including arnica, vitamin B6, MSM, and Boswellia. Penetrex has sold over two million jars of its non-greasy and odor-free cream over the past decade and has become an Amazon bestseller.

Some customers have called the cream a “godsend” and a “miracle cream” for soreness, stiffness, inflammation, and swelling. If you’ve been looking for a topical recovery formula that actually works (and doesn’t leave behind an oily residue), look no further than this discomfort relief cream.

Grammy-winning singer Lola Young confirmed she was in drug recovery after she fainted onstage during a performance in September. “I think I would rather, for the sake of my privacy, not say too much,” the “Messy” singer, 25, told The Times UK in an interview. “But what I would say is that recovery is an ongoing process. I’m not the finished article, but I’m doing a hell of a lot better.” Young clarified that she indeed meant recovery from drugs, adding, “When you’re in recovery, that doesn’t necessarily need to mean drugs—but me specifically, yes.” Young, who has previously been open about her cocaine addiction and attended rehab twice, collapsed on stage during a performance of “Conceited” at the All Things Good music festival in New York City in September. She was carried off stage by medical staff, and canceled her future tour dates and appearances three days later. The British singer, who won Best Pop Solo Performance at this year’s Grammy awards for “Messy,” added that she now frequently attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. She addressed others also in recovery, saying, “This is an ongoing journey. You have to be kind to yourself. You have to always remember that you are not alone. You are not ever, ever alone.”

The Tomb Raider series had to pause filming after its star, Sophie Turner, was injured. Amazon MGM Studios told People that Turner suffered a “minor injury” and “as a precaution, production has briefly paused to allow her time to recover.” Filming is reportedly set to resume in two weeks, with the studio hoping to be back on schedule “as soon as possible.” Crew will be paid during the break. The studio did not specify the type of injury or how Turner was injured. The 30-year-old has been public about the intense physicality required in her role, telling The Julia Cunningham Show earlier this year that she had been training “eight hours a day, five days a week” since February 2025. The video game adaptation is set to be released by Amazon MGM in 2027, and will feature Turner as the fictional archaeologist Lara Croft alongside Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs, and Celia Imrie. “I’ve been a long-time fan of Tomb Raider and the character of Lara. She has always felt, for me, very emboldened in a male-dominated world. She’s a fierce female role model,” Turner has previously said. The Daily Beast has reached out to Amazon MGM Studios for comment.

A drama series on the investigation into notorious sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein could soon be coming to the screen. The project from Sony Pictures Television will feature famed actress Laura Dern as the dogged Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown, whose work helped bring Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell to justice. The limited series will be based on Brown’s book, Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story. The book will be adapted for TV by executive producer Sharon Hoffman, who previously worked on House of Cards and Mrs. America. Dern will also be an executive producer, along with Brown and Adam McKay. Though there have been multiple documentaries on Jeffrey Epstein, this would be the first scripted TV show focused on the topic. An official description of the show calls it “an explosive account of an investigative reporter exposing the secret plea deal between Epstein and federal prosecutors. Drawing from Brown’s experience as a groundbreaking reporter for the Miami Herald, the book and the limited series follow her relentless years-long investigation that identified 80 victims, persuaded key survivors to go on the record, and led to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s arrests.” Dern comes to the role as already one of the most well-respected actresses of her generation, known for her work in hits like Big Little Lies and Jurassic Park. According to Variety, Sony is currently shopping the series around.

A record number of American auto buyers are trapped in a debt spiral that follows them from one vehicle to the next. An estimated 30.5 percent of car buyers who trade in a vehicle owe more on it than it is worth, according to J.D. Power’s automotive forecast for March—up 4.2 percentage points from a year ago. The average amount owed on those underwater trade-ins hit $7,214 in the fourth quarter of 2025, an all-time high, according to Edmunds. More alarming still, 27 percent of those trade-ins carried $10,000 or more in negative equity, also a record. “It’s the amount underwater that is the real, and troubling, story,” said Joseph Yoon, a consumer insights analyst at Edmunds. When that debt is rolled into a new loan, the average monthly payment rockets to $916—$144 more than the average new-car buyer pays. New cars aren’t getting cheaper, either. The average price hit $49,353 in February, up 30 percent since 2020.

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If you rely on coffee for its focus-boosting powers but could do without the jitters, stomach flips, and inevitable mid-afternoon crash, it might be time to rethink what’s actually in your cup. Enter the new wave of functional blends that promise steady energy without the rollercoaster. My go-to functional coffee? Everyday Dose’s mushroom coffee. Yes, mushroom coffee isn’t exactly a novel concept.

If you’ve tried early iterations, you know the flavor could skew aggressively earthy—more forest floor than flat white. The category has evolved, and Everyday Dose is part of a newer class of brands prioritizing taste as much as function. The result is a brew that’s creamy, smooth, and convincingly coffee-forward, not overtly fungal.

The formula pairs real coffee with nootropic and adaptogenic mushrooms traditionally associated with cognitive support and stress modulation, plus grass-fed collagen for added protein and skin-supporting benefits. Instead of triggering your nervous system, the blend is designed to promote more sustained, even energy—think clear-headed focus without the wired feeling or abrupt crash.

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Beyond energy, Everyday Dose leans into the ritual aspect. It dissolves easily, has a naturally mellow finish, and doesn’t require masking with syrups or heavy cream to make it palatable. Plus, for those with sensitive stomachs, many people find mushroom-forward blends easier on digestion than high-acid traditional brews.

Of course, it’s still coffee (you’ll get the caffeine you’re drinking it for—don’t worry), but the added functional ingredients appear to soften the sharper edges of the experience. The net effect feels less like a caffeine spike and more like a steady hum. Precisely what I need in 2026.

For anyone curious about upgrading their morning ritual without giving up the comfort (or flavor) of a proper cup, Everyday Dose makes a strong case that functional coffee has officially grown up.

A Delta Air Lines jet’s left engine caught fire during takeoff, leaving passengers screaming, before the pilots managed to quickly return to the airport for an emergency landing 10 minutes later. Flight 104 took off from Sao Paulo bound for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Sunday night, but seconds after wheels up suffered engine trouble, according to USA Today. The 19-year-old Airbus A330-300 landed safely, carrying 272 passengers, who were then shuttled back to the terminal by bus. “Delta teams are working to reaccommodate customers to get them safely to their destination,” Delta said in a statement. “The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority. We apologize to our customers for this delay in their travels.” Footage posted online by the air travel news site Air Live shows a recording from the left-hand side of the plane as it took off. Bright orange flashes can be seen coming from the engine just off-screen seconds later, as passengers cry out. According to Simple Flying and separate footage, falling debris may have caused a fire to break out in the grass next to the runway.

American wine lovers have been dealt a blow by President Donald Trump and his far-reaching tariff experiment. Five retailers, wholesalers, and restaurateurs told Reuters that they have been ditching go-to menu options because importing them from Europe is no longer financially viable. The continent has historically been a close ally of the U.S., but that didn’t stop Trump from imposing a 15 percent tariff on many of its goods last year, which was later reduced to 10 percent after the Supreme Court got involved. Kristen Goceljak, wine director of the New York-based Kent Hospitality Group, said that prices of champagne and crémant—sparkling wines which can only ever be made in France—had risen enough to make them unattractive import options because “It’s just too expensive.” It’s bad news for wine drinkers, because “The pressure to pass through costs is mounting,” said Republic National Distributing Company SVP Lance Emerson. He said the hike is likely to be felt more in wine than in spirits, noting that retailers were trimming their product offerings, while restaurants were swapping out old favorites for lower-cost options.