Latest news with #TheSwamp
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Found: Don Jr.'s $500,000 Club's Dingy Location Under a Gym
It's a Beast of a time in Washington. Donald Trump's D.C. reality show is full of new characters, plot twists, and cliffhangers, and the Daily Beast will navigate you through it. The 47th president won't need to drain The Swamp. It's all leaking here… The Swamp is written by David Gardner, Farrah Tomazin, and Sarah Ewall-Wice. . In a subterranean basement in Georgetown, renovation crews have been hard at work putting the finishing touches to Donald Trump Jr. 's new private members club before its vaguely anticipated opening later this year. The Executive Branch was once the home to Clubhouse D.C.—a billiards bar known for its Tuesday trivia nights, Saturday karaoke and $5 green tea whiskey shooters. Now it's a higher-end space with decor and architecture inspired by New York's Aman hotel, whose members include White House crypto czar David Sacks, venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya, and Gemini's Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. The Swamp scoped out the site this weekend but was politely blocked at the unfurnished entrance by a man dressed in black, who confirmed that the venue would soon be 'a private club' but did not elaborate. What's clear is that the site, located below a drab shopping and housing complex called Georgetown Park, somewhat under delivers on the luxury ethos of an exclusive hotspot catering for the wealthiest supporters of the Trump administration. For one thing, Georgetown Park is also home to a Department of Motor Vehicles office, a Gold's Gym, a H&M store and a T.J. Maxx discount store outlet. On the first level of the parking garage (where members will be able to enter discreetly if they don't wish to walk down a not-so-subtle stairwell on Wisconsin Avenue) there's an Avis and Budget rental car business. And above the complex are 92 residential condos, including nine that are currently up for grabs, according to the latest real estate listings. Indeed, for roughly the same price as a top-tier $500,000 membership at the Executive Branch, you could score a 900-square foot one-bedroom apartment with a community pool and shared landscaped courtyard instead. For $710,000 you could even get a one-bedroom corner unit with 'unique neighborhood views'—a nod, perhaps, to the MAGA loyalists who will soon be sipping cocktails in the bar below. When the Executive Branch does eventually open, membership will initially be capped at around 200, and demand has—apparently—already exceeded that. Unlike Ned's Club near the White House, whose sightings have included CNN's Kaitlan Collins and the Wall Street Journal 's Josh Dawsey, there will be a strict 'no media' policy. Inside, Trump Jr. and co-founder Omeed Malik from 1789 Capital have reportedly added about $10 million worth of art, including original oil paintings and bronze sculptures, and there are several lounge spaces, a bar, and a VIP section. There will also be a health-conscious menu inspired by Robert F. Kennedy 's Make America Healthy Again movement (think beef tallow instead of seed oils.) The good news for diners in need of something a little more satisfying is that Filomena's, one of Bill Clinton 's former favorite DC restaurants, is only a few doors down and still features his go-to dish: the Linguine Cardinale (lobster meat in a creamy sauce served over pasta). Alternatively, the politicos and tech titans of the Executive Branch could pop across the road to 90-Second Pizza, an occasional favorite for members of the not-so-exclusive Gold's Gym.
USA Today
06-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida football receiver named to ESPN's 'Three freshmen to watch' list for 2025 season
One of the nation's most highly touted incoming wide receivers is already earning national attention before his first snap for the Florida Gators. Wide receiver Dallas Wilson has been named to ESPN's "Three freshmen to watch" list ahead of the 2025 college football season. The list highlights three newcomers expected to make an immediate impact, with Wilson joining Tennessee Volunteers offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. and LSU Tigers cornerback DJ Pickett. For the Gators, the recognition adds even more excitement for an offense looking to add explosive playmakers. The Tampa Bay Tech product flipped his commitment from the Oregon Ducks to the Gators late in the recruiting process, giving Billy Napier one of his biggest recruiting wins of the cycle. In his high school career, Wilson recorded 130 receptions for 2,424 yards and 30 touchdowns, averaging an impressive 18.6 yards per catch. He was selected as an Under Armour All-American and a Polynesian Bowl participant. Given his incredible resume, it's only fitting for Wilson to be included in ESPN's list of "freshmen to watch" for the 2025 college football season. Here is everything they wrote about the talented Florida receiver. What ESPN said about Wilson "Wilson showed up instantly by catching 10 passes for almost 200 yards and two touchdowns in Florida's spring game. No matter who starts at quarterback on Week 1 for the Gators, there's a good chance they'll develop a quick connection with Wilson. "The 6-foot-4 Florida native has a massive catch radius, 10-inch hands and surprising breakaway speed given his frame. He runs a legitimate 4.5 40-yard dash and has the shiftiness to pick up yards after the catch, making him a nightmare matchup who should see the field early in The Swamp." Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
The Herald Scotland
11-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
SEC football stadiums rankings: Swamp at Florida bests Tiger Stadium
Amen. Come holy day, tens of thousands of believers gather at SEC cathedrals far and wide - a hundred-thousand strong at some venues - and they'll scream bloody murder when the opposing quarterback goes behind center. They'll scream other things, too, that aren't fit to print. Some of those stadiums will even tremble amid the roar and the vigor. If an official's call goes against the home team, boos will rain down, and maybe some water bottles and beer cans, too. Just after the dawn of the 20th century, a record-breaking crowd at a Tennessee-Alabama game turned so rowdy that police halted the game prematurely, and a Birmingham city official predicted college football wouldn't last in the South. If he could only see what it's become. I've covered games at every SEC stadium, and I've been to nearly all of them more than once. With one exception, each is worth visiting. Pack your drinkin' shoes - and your ear plugs. Here's how I rank the SEC's toughest stadiums: 1. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Florida Combine gator chomps with the din of noise and Gainesville's humidity, and Steve Spurrier aptly said "only Gators get out alive" from The Swamp. Florida fans belt Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" before the fourth quarter to create one of college football's most memorable scenes. Florida boasts a .714 home winning percentage against SEC opponents the past 10 years, compared to .486 on the road in conference games. That's the definition of home-field advantage. 2. Tiger Stadium, LSU Former Arkansas running back Darren McFadden once said of Death Valley: "The fans are relentless." That's especially true for night games. After LSU fans spend the day sucking down hooch, they're in no mood to take prisoners. QUARTERBACK RANKINGS: Big Ten | SEC | ACC | Big 12 UNDER RADAR: Five sleeper candidates for Heisman Trophy 3. Neyland Stadium, Tennessee Tennessee fans are ruthless. Former Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield described experiencing "a different type of loud" while playing as an opponent in Neyland. And when "Rocky Top" plays on a loop, it's psychological torture. 4. Bryant-Denny Stadium, Alabama Alabama fans, spoiled by the Nick Saban era, don't always roar as fiercely as others listed above, but last season's game against Georgia served a reminder that Tide fans can bring the noise when they feel they must. Alabama is nearly unbeatable at home the past 20 years. 5. Sanford Stadium, Georgia Kirby Smart almost never loses at home. That's partially a credit to the environment "Between the Hedges." Georgia fans literally bark their way into the stadium. Sometimes, the stadium noise isn't quite elite, but, when challenged, this venue can rumble. 6. Williams-Brice Stadium, South Carolina The Gamecocks peck above their weight at home, playing in one of the SEC's most underrated venues. The stadium comes alive when Darude's "Sandstorm" plays, and fans wave white towels chanting "U-S-C! U-S-C!" 7. Kyle Field, Texas A&M Kyle Field towers like no other, and it literally shakes when the noise swells. Love or mock the Aggie Yell Leaders, you can't deny they create a unique scene, and the Aggies entering to "POWER" is one of college football's best intros. 8. Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn Some say Jordan-Hare uncorks a strange voodoo magic on opponents. Or, perhaps Auburn fans just create a tough environment. Find someone who loves you the way Auburn fans love to "Swag Surf." 9. Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Oklahoma Oklahoma's stadium fits neatly into the SEC tapestry, and the Sooner Schooner cruising the field paints a scene fit for the nation's premier football conference. With a capacity of 80,126, the "Palace on the Prairie" doesn't match the SEC's top colossuses, but it holds its own. 10. Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Texas Texas earns its reputation for having a bit of a "wine and cheese crowd" amid its 100,119 capacity, but Longhorns fans still can turn it up for big games. Texas has won 14 of its last 15 at home, resulting in triumphant renditions of "The Eyes of Texas." 11. Faurot Field, Missouri Several years ago, then-Missouri coach Barry Odom bought thousands of tickets and gave them away free to coax fans into the stadium. Fans will buy their own tickets, and Faurot perks up - if the Tigers are good. Missouri has won nearly 60% of its home conference games since joining the SEC. 12. Davis Wade Stadium, Mississippi State When Mississippi State fans get their cowbells clanging at full force, it sounds like a swarm of locusts has descended upon the stadium, allowing a venue with a capacity of 60,311 to buzz beyond its size. 13. Razorback Stadium, Arkansas No school ever embraced being the "Pigs" quite like Arkansas, and the "Calling of the Hogs" ranks among the SEC's neater traditions. Fans consistently turn out, and yet Arkansas' SEC home record remains too bleak. 14. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Mississippi No SEC tour can be deemed complete without sipping a tailgate drink in The Grove. As for the stadium environment, coach Lane Kiffin once compared it to a high school venue. As the Rebels climbed these past few years, though, the vibe in the stadium improved, too. 15. Kroger Field, Kentucky Kentucky became a tricky road trip at the height of the Mark Stoops era, and a basketball-leaning fan base would show up. Although it lacks the viciousness of many SEC venues, the conference's most modern stadium is a decent place to take in a game. 16. FirstBank Stadium, Vanderbilt Vanderbilt sprints away with the cellar spot. No other SEC school would play a season with a scoreboard held up by a crane. If you want to know which SEC foe Vanderbilt is hosting, peep the stands. They'll be tinted with the opponents' colors, as road fans visit Nashville to get a taste of the honky-tonks and take over Vanderbilt's small stadium. Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@ and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How to feed the world without trashing the planet. Q&A with Miami writer Michael Grunwald
Are those big, juicy burgers really bad for the planet? Alas, yes. Is eating organic food going to save it? Unfortunately, no, and that option might actually not be so good — at least for the ailing global climate. Those just a couple of the takeaways from Miami writer Michael Grunwald's deep dive into how humanity's insatiable appetite is fueling both environmental destruction and the climate crisis. The title of his new book, We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate, sums up the path Grunwald finds us on. Grunwald — author of the 'The Swamp,' a highly regarded history of the Everglades and the effort to restore it — specializes in big picture breakdowns of complicated issues. Like with Everglades restoration, some seeming food solutions produce problems of their own. The book's guide of sorts is land-use expert and environmentalist Tim Searchinger, who drew up a blueprint for how and what we should be planting and eating to both reduce agriculture's climate impacts and protect wild areas. Grunwald explores the pros and cons of current practices, poking holes in trendy concepts of 'biofuels' like corn-derived ethanol, which he brands a 'fake climate solution.' He suggests there are lessons to be learn from often stigmatized 'factory farming.' And while he agrees going vegan is good, he may make you rethink that pack of organic carrots. Grunwald, who will appear at Books and Books in Coral Gables, on July 14 at 7 p.m., sat down for a lunchtime interview at a restaurant of his choosing, Bayshore Club in Coral Gables. For the record, he ordered ahi tuna mini tacos and the fish of the day—corvina with plantains. He'll explain why in our Q&A, which has been edited for clarity and brevity. Q: I would've thought you'd pick a vegan place with some cauliflower wings like Planta Queen but you picked a place with mainly seafood. Why? A: I like the views and I'm close so I rode my bike. I stopped eating beef when I started the book. Going vegan is the best diet for the planet, but cutting out beef and lamb is as good as going vegetarian because beef and lamb are seven to 10 times worse than chicken or pork. One of my messages from the book is that better is better than worse – and perfect usually isn't on the menu. And I love fish. Fish are actually pretty efficient creatures. I do believe there's this notion, and it's big in the environmental movement and climate movement right now, that individual emissions don't matter. I get it right, what the government does is more important than what one of 8 billion people does, and what corporations do is a big deal too – but I think it's gone way too far. I think emissions are us, and it's not like Donald Trump or Burger King are shoving all this meat down our throats. It's a choice we make. The average American eats the equivalent of three burgers a week. And if we ate two we would save a Massachusetts's worth of land every year. Q: Your book chronicles how demand for food and land to grow it on is destroying global ecosystems. In Miami, we have the opposite, urban sprawl consuming the Redland agriculture area. Which is worse? A: It's funny. Most of us live in the cities and suburbs, and this is where we live and work and go to school and play on the planet but the developed area of the planet is about one in every 100 acres. By 2050, it might be 2% of the planet. But agriculture is two of every five acres, it's 40%. So people talk about urban sprawl, and I'm not saying it's not an issue, but agricultural sprawl is, like, 40 times bigger. And we know this, right? When you take a cross-country flight, and you look out, you see all those squares and circles. You can see that the natural planet is becoming an agricultural planet, and that's what my book's about. But what's happening in the Redland, which is something that people should pay attention to, those are important questions, because they make food in the Redlands, and if that food becomes development, that food will have to be replaced somewhere else. It probably won't be a parking lot, right? It'll be a prairie or a forest or a wetland. Q: Much of the mainstream discussion on climate and farming has focused on factory farms. Why zero in on land loss instead? A: Even if you only look at it from a climate perspective, agriculture is about 25% of global emissions. And some of that is diesel tractors, crop dusters and other fossil fuel farm equipment. And some of it is the burping and farting cows that everybody talks about it. And then some of it is nitrous oxide from fertilizer, which is actually a huge problem. Fertilizer is literally made from natural gas. But the main problem is deforestation and wetland drainage. There's a lot of carbon stored in nature, and we clear nature to grow food, and that nature ends up in the sky. And not only that, that nature was providing a service, it was absorbing carbon from the sky through photosynthesis. Q: You make a counter-intuitive suggestion that to save the planet, we need to rethink eating organics. Why? A: I try not to be too prescriptive about what specific type of farming we should have, but we need high-yield farming because we need to make more food per acre so that we can use fewer acres. Otherwise, we need more acres to make food, right? Organic and regenerative practices have a lot of support all over the political spectrum. Everybody's pushing this idea that we should sort of transform agriculture to 'agroecology,' to make it kinder and gentler and more like nature, use fewer chemicals. I don't have a problem with that, except when it reduces yields because the real environmental disaster of agriculture is when nature is transformed into agriculture. There are some bad things about factory farms. They treat animals badly. Often treat people badly. Too many antibiotics. There's a lot not to like – but factories are good at manufacturing lots of stuff, and we need to manufacture like 50% more calories over the next 25 years. We're gonna have to make more food over the next 25 years than we've made in the last 12,000 years. Grass-fed cows that spend their entire life on pastures and never go to these horrible feed lots are considerably worse from an environmental and climate perspective. It takes them longer to get to slaughter weight, so they're alive to burp and fart more methane and mostly because they use more land and eat more of the earth. There are a lot of people who see efficiency in agriculture as kind of a dirty word but efficiency saves resources. And efficiency saves land, and that's really important. Q: You write about how the Bezos Earth Fund invested in meat alternatives (which Lauren Sánchez, billionaire Jeff Bezo's wife, announced at the Aspen Conference in Miami Beach). Why hasn't it caught on and does it still have a future? A: The quick answer to the first question is, the dogs didn't like the food. There was a lot of excitement in 2019 when Beyond and Impossible got started as the first companies trying to grow vegan food for non-vegans, but they weren't better than meat. So people got excited about them, and they tried them, but they didn't keep going back. Beyond went from $250 a share to $2 a share. Impossible's still doing okay, because it's good. Plant-based meat which is grown in a fermenter from fungi comes out naturally meaty and shockingly healthy. That's just gotten started. Lab-grown meat, or cultivated meat they like to call it now, because, yeah, lab-grown sounds terrible, will be grown in a brewery, not a lab. I've eaten this stuff and it's great. It tastes like meat because it's meat. It's grown from actual animal cells. People aren't going to buy it because it's like, good for the planet. But our species is good at inventing stuff, and it can get better, it can get cheaper, it can get healthier, and then it can make a difference. Q: Florida is the first state in the U.S. to ban lab-grown or cultivated meat. Is this a step backward? A: I mean, it's ridiculous. This is supposed to be the Free State of Florida, and they're telling us what kind of meat we can eat. And that's bull----. I can say that this shows the sort of danger for cultivated meat and meat alternatives being caught up in partisan culture wars. They've become 'woke' to eat. Since when do we think of technology that way? Q: How can people change eating habits to make a difference in the climate? A: First eat less beef, and second waste less food. Because when you waste food, and we waste a quarter of our food, you waste the farmland that was used to grow the food, the fertilizer, the water, the labor – the world uses a landmass the size of China to grow garbage. If somebody says, what's the third thing, I would probably say, eat even a little less beef. Q: You started and ended the book in the Everglades, why? A: We visited the water treatment wetlands that turned out to be an inadvertent great land and climate solution and wetland restoration, which is what Everglades restoration is all about. Turns out to be the best bang for the buck that you can get for the climate. I didn't want this to just be a Debbie Downer book. I'm writing about all these problems, and then I'm writing about all these solutions that haven't panned out yet. But, I do believe that things can get better. So I think part of the message is we've got to keep working on this stuff, and it's not like a guarantee that it's going to save the planet, but maybe some good stuff will happen. Ashley Miznazi is a climate change reporter for the Miami Herald funded by the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation and MSC Cruises in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ted Cruz Caught on Vacation Abroad During Texas Tragedy—Again
It's a Beast of a time in Washington. Donald Trump's D.C. reality show is full of new characters, plot twists, and cliffhangers, and the Daily Beast will navigate you through it. The 47th president won't need to drain The Swamp. It's all leaking here… Never miss another secret from the D.C. ooze by signing up here to get The Swamp direct to your inbox.. The Swamp can exclusively reveal that Ted Cruz stayed in Greece and continued to sightsee as rescuers scoured the floodwaters in Central Texas that killed at least 100 people, including 27 campers and counselors from a summer camp. The Texas senator was spotted visiting the Parthenon in the Greek capital, Athens, with his wife, Heidi, on Saturday evening. That was a day after Camp Mystic announced that more than 20 girls had gone missing in the floodwaters. On Saturday, July 5, at about 6 p.m. local time (11 a.m. ET)—more than 24 hours after the Guadalupe River burst its banks—Cruz and his wife were spotted by a Swamp spy lining up outside the iconic tourist site. 'He was with his family and a lone security guard,' said an eyewitness at the Parthenon. 'As he walked past us, I simply said, '20 kids dead in Texas and you take a vacation?' 'He sort of grunted and walked on. His wife shot me a dirty look. Then they continued on with their tour guide.' While Cruz admired the Doric columns of the fifth century B.C. ancient Greek temple, emergency workers were still searching for summer campers and families caught in the flash floods that cascaded through Texas Hill Country and inundated the Guadalupe River. It is not the first time that Cruz has faced criticism for holidaying while his constituents have faced a natural disaster. In 2021, Cruz took his family on a trip to Cancun, Mexico, after Texas was hit by a winter storm that left millions in his state freezing without power or water. At the time, the senator defended his sunshine flight by saying he wanted to be 'a good dad' but returned because 'it didn't feel right.' The death toll has now topped 100 from the Texas deluge, which began Friday, July 4, and is one of the deadliest floods in over a century. Cruz is understood to have landed in Athens on Thursday, the day after the Texas Division of Emergency Management announced that it was activating state emergency response resources. On the day Cruz touched down in Europe, NPR reported that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick held a press conference—as acting governor—warning of the 'potential flooding' that would hit overnight. The following day, on Friday, July 4, the lieutenant governor was forced to call a second press conference to address the scale of the disaster. 'My name is Dan Patrick, lieutenant governor, acting governor, the, uh, governor's out of state today,' he began. 'On a day which is usually for celebration. It's a very tough day in Texas. We had a disastrous flash flood.' In Athens, it was a calm and sunny day, peaking at 93F. Cruz didn't get a plane back to Texas until Sunday. He was at the scene of the flooding in Kerrville, Texas, on Monday morning. The senator told a press conference he was on the phone to state officials within hours of the flood. 'In the first few hours of this flood, I was on the phone with Governor Abbott, was on the phone with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, I was on the phone with Nim Kidd, the head of the Texas Department of Emergency Management, and then I called President Trump,' said Cruz on Monday morning. 'He was having dinner at the time, it was still early in what was transpiring, and I wanted him to know. I said, Mr. President, from everything we're hearing right now, this appears to be bad, really bad. 'There may be a very significant loss of life unfolding right now in Texas... The president said, 'Ted… whatever assets you need, whatever resources you need, yes, let us know, and we will provide everything.' 'Within hours, we had over a dozen helicopters in the air, National Guard, DPS, game wardens, Coast Guard, doing search and rescue.' However, it appears that Cruz still managed to enjoy some of the sights of Athens after this phone call. On Monday, Cruz also appeared live on Fox & Friends from Kerrville, Texas, in the area worst hit by the disaster and posted a number of messages on X. 'There aren't words to describe the grief that Texans are feeling. Pray for Texas and Kerr County.' He told reporters he picked up his own daughter, Catherine, from a camp just down the road from Camp Mystic. 'We picked up our youngest daughter [Catherine] last week from camp, five miles away,' he said. 'I will tell you I've been speaking to moms and dads, number one, of kids who are still missing and the agony of not knowing where your daughter is—there's nothing like that.' In January, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was widely criticized after she traveled to Ghana while wildfires raged through California, leaving 29 people dead and more than 180,000 buildings destroyed. Cruz's staff refused to offer comment on the record to The Swamp before publication but wanted to go off the record, to which The Swamp agreed, believing that Cruz's aides were speaking to us in good faith. Our initial report therefore reflected their claim that it had been impossible for Cruz to get a flight until Sunday. After we published, Cruz's communications director Macarena Martinez posted on X that she had spoken to the Daily Beast and said, 'A bulls--- piece published by a bulls--- rag outlet with no credibility, and with no regard for the tragedy in Texas. The Senator is on the ground in Texas and arrived as fast as humanly possible. I explained all of this to their two-faced reporter.' Notably Martinez denied none of the facts of The Swamp's revelations. The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment. The Swamp is written by David Gardner, Farrah Tomazin, and Sarah Ewall-Wice. This exclusive extract from this week's edition of The Swamp is just a taste of the delicious secrets we reveal every week. Sign up here to never miss an edition.
