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The Daily Beast Podcast
The Daily Beast, Joanna Coles
The Daily Beast Podcast is as wildly exciting, energizing, and entertaining as the topics it covers. Hosted by Joanna Coles, Chief Content Officer of the Daily Beast, each episode delivers the people and politics coverage you need—straight from the Daily Beast newsroom. Conversations have featured voices like John Oliver, Mary Trump, and Governor Gavin Newsom, alongside sharp, incisive takes each week from show regular David Rothkopf. It’s like the best dinner party you’ve ever been to, just without the food. New episodes every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday; early drops on YouTube. If you’re not already a subscriber to The Daily Beast, it’s easy! Just go to thedailybeast.com to sign up.
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True80% confidence6 sourcesSep 8, 2026Melania Trump refused to speak at the 2024 RNC convention.Said by ASources consistently report that Melania Trump did not give a speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention, and the Independent reports she repeatedly declined invitations to speak, which supports 'refused'. The extracted claim matches the passage's wording, and the 2026 Daily Beast item is the claimant's own outlet's coverage rather than independent corroboration.True95% confidence6 sourcesSep 8, 2026The Washington Post is owned by Jeff Bezos.Said by BMultiple tier1 and tier2 sources (AP, Reuters, Politico, The Washington Post's own About page, NPR) confirm that The Washington Post has been owned by Jeff Bezos since its 2013 sale, and the claim is still accurate as of 2026-09-08. The extraction faithfully reflects the passage's 'Washington Post owned by Jeff Bezos.'True85% confidence7 sourcesSep 8, 2026Melania Trump did not sit next to Donald Trump in the VIP box at the 2024 RNC convention.Said by AThe sources support the claim that Melania Trump did not sit next to Donald Trump in the VIP box: NPR reports she took her seat next to JD Vance because Trump had just left for his speech. The post's implied story that she 'refused' to sit by him is not supported, since the sources attribute the separation to his departure.True60% confidence4 sourcesSep 8, 2026Donald Trump has $400 million in PAC funds.Said by BMAGA Inc., Trump's flagship super PAC, started September with more than $415 million cash on hand (Politico), and reported about $424 million in the bank through August (Washington Sun), so roughly $400 million in PAC funds is supported as of 2026-09-08. The claim is loose: the money belongs to a super PAC allied with Trump rather than to Trump personally, and cash fell to $164 million by Oct. 14 after heavy spending, which postdates the claim.True60% confidence5 sourcesSep 8, 2026Donald Trump has solicited $800 million from corporate donors.Said by AMultiple outlets report, citing a Wall Street Journal investigation published July 31, 2026, that Trump raised more than $800 million from donors since returning to office, with a hands-on fundraiser soliciting large corporate contributions. The sources describe the total as coming from corporate donors and wealthy individuals, so the claim's narrower 'corporate donors' framing is a minor scope simplification rather than a contradiction, and the sources are downstream echoes of a single WSJ report.True80% confidence8 sourcesSep 8, 202650 people in the Pentagon have been required to take lie detector tests regarding information leaks.Said by BMultiple outlets report, citing The New York Times and CBS News, that about 50 Joint Staff personnel at the Pentagon were required to take polygraph tests in August 2026 as part of a leak investigation. The claim matches that reporting as of the 2026-09-08 post date, with the sources treating the Joint Staff as part of the Pentagon.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True85% confidence5 sourcesSep 8, 2026Dozens of officials at the Pentagon are being subjected to lie-detector tests.Multiple outlets report, citing The New York Times and CBS News, that several dozen senior Pentagon officials (about 50 Joint Staff members) were given polygraph tests in August 2026 in a leak investigation, which matches the claim as of 2026-09-08. The tests were completed in August rather than ongoing on the posting date, a minor tense imprecision that does not change the verdict.True60% confidence5 sourcesSep 8, 2026Pete Hegseth is being blamed for leading the military into a war that they cannot figure out how to exit.As of early September 2026, sources show critics blaming Hegseth for an Iran war with no clear end or exit, including a former Air Force secretary citing 'no clear exit strategy' and senior officials warning the war cannot be extended indefinitely. The sources frame the blame mainly around managing the war and the Pentagon rather than as a direct charge that he led the country into it, and the post's 'they' is read as critics. The claim departs from the passage only in wording, not substance, and the later sources (October) describe the war as a stalemate with no exit, which is consistent with the claim.True90% confidence5 sourcesSep 8, 2026Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are traveling to Moscow.Multiple tier1 sources (Reuters, AP, BBC) report that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on September 5, 2026 and met Putin, consistent with the claim as of its September 8, 2026 posting date. The post itself says they 'head to Moscow,' so the claim is a faithful paraphrase; by the check date they had already visited and then moved on to Kyiv, but the claim was accurate when made.Can’t tell30% confidence9 sourcesSep 8, 2026Donald Trump uses a patch kit consisting of small tufts of hair to maintain his hair.Said by AThe only sources on this are coverage repeating biographer Michael Wolff's claim, which is circular and not independent evidence; the White House has not confirmed it, and outlets say it has not been independently verified. No source corroborates or contradicts the claim as of 2026-09-08, and the claim is presented as Wolff's allegation rather than established fact.Can’t tell30% confidence4 sourcesSep 8, 2026Roger Ailes hired Maria Bartiromo because he believed CEOs would be attracted to her.Said by AThe sources confirm that Roger Ailes hired Maria Bartiromo at CNBC in 1993, but none of them addresses why he hired her. The claimed motive, that he believed CEOs would be attracted to her, comes only from Michael Wolff's podcast account of a private conversation, which the sources neither corroborate nor dispute.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.Can’t tell30% confidence7 sourcesSep 8, 2026Fees paid to sit beside Donald Trump at a Kennedy Center event went directly to a Trump PAC instead of the Kennedy Center.Said by ANo source reports that fees paid to sit beside Trump at a Kennedy Center event were routed to a Trump PAC. The sources describe donor packages and sponsorship levels that included a photo op or seating, but none say where that money went, so the claim is neither supported nor contradicted.