Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — the guy who until this week refused to order a statewide lockdown — now says he thinks COVID-19 was likely spread at Super Bowl LIV. The Republican governor said at a Tuesday press conference, the virus may have…

As the competitive Maine Senate race heated up last summer, the conservative news outlet Newsmax blared a warning to its audience: Democratic moneymen were pouring cash into an effort to flip one of Republicans’ most endangered Senate seats.“Progressive big-money donors are stepping up their crusade against centrist Sen. Susan Collins,” Newsmax senior editor David Patten wrote. “Advertising Analytics reports none of the $ 1.3 million spent on the Senate race so far has come from Republican sources.” Collins’ Senate campaign quickly promoted the piece on its own website.Exactly one week later, Newsmax took steps to even the odds. The company donated $ 50,000 to 1820 PAC, a deep-pocketed super PAC linked to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce supporting Collins’ re-election. It was just the fifth time the company had donated directly to a federal political committee, and the first time it had done so since 2015. And it was by far Newsmax’s largest-ever donation.Days after the donation, Patten wrote another story relaying allegations of election law violations by Collins’ Democratic opponent, Maine State House Speaker Sara Gideon. The following month, Newsmax ran a story touting Collins’ lead in the polls—and reporting on a new 1820 PAC ad supporting her. Neither of those articles disclosed the news outlet’s donation to the group, nor has any article on the Maine Senate race in the ensuing months.Newsmax is among the web’s most popular right-of-center news outlets, boasting about 3.7 million unique visitors in January, according to web analytics service ComScore. It also runs a cable-news channel that the company claims reaches 100 million homes. Newsmax founder and publisher Christopher Ruddy is a friend and acquaintance of President Donald Trump, and is known to frequent the president’s Mar-a-Lago club, a short drive from the Newsmax headquarters in Boca Raton.The company has made some high-profile hires in the Trump era, including bringing on former Fox News news executive Michael Clemente as CEO in 2018 (Clemente stepped down after about a year, but still consults for the company). Most recently, Newsmax hired former White House press secretary Sean Spicer to host a weekday news and opinion show. Its regular guests include prominent names such as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, disgraced former Fox News primetime host Bill O’Reilly, and far-right columnist Michelle Malkin.Newsmax does not hide its conservative leanings. But its five-figure donation to 1820 PAC in August crossed a line from ideologically driven coverage of politics and current events into outright and quantifiable support for an explicit partisan outfit. It’s the most apparent illustration to date of the overt politicization of a news organization where, according to a former anchor for the outlet, executives micromanage and tailor news coverage to fit a political agenda."Newsmax tightly controls its on-air and website content to cater to its conservative viewing audience. Executives… are intimately involved in selecting the topics of news stories and how they are covered,” alleged Miranda Khan, a former Newsmax TV host, in a lawsuit filed last year. “Prior to joining Newsmax, [Khan] had substantial on-camera experience, particularly in the news industry,” the lawsuit added. She said she “had never experienced the level of control she experienced at Newsmax."The lawsuit was settled before Newsmax officially responded to those allegations. Khan declined to comment on her allegations, which have not been previously reported.Ruddy did not respond to inquiries about the allegations, or the ethical issues raised by its political contributions.Ruddy himself is a longtime Collins supporter. “Throughout Susan Collins' 21-year career as a U.S. senator, the Maine Republican has faced criticism from both sides of the aisle, but has always come out with her head held high and her principles intact,” he wrote in a glowing opinion column in 2018.That column is now featured on the homepage of 1820 PAC’s website. Of the six news items posted in the site’s “news” section, three are Newsmax stories or columns.Ruddy has also supported Collins financially ahead of her 2020 re-election fight. He has made just two federal political contributions this cycle: $ 2,500 to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and $ 5,200 to the Collins Victory Committee, a joint fundraising committee that dispersed the money to Collins’ campaign and her leadership PAC. The transfers to her campaign came in June, shortly before Newsmax chipped in to 1820 PAC.It’s common for large media companies’ political action committees to donate to congressional candidates. But that political giving is usually spread among dozens of recipients of both parties, and generally aligns more with the business interests of parent companies such as News Corp, CBS Entertainment Group, or Disney than with the editorial positions of its news properties.That giving is also almost uniformly done by way of the parent companies’ PACs, not by the companies themselves. Corporations can’t donate to political candidates directly, but they can set up PACs, generally funded by their employees, that can give up to $ 5,000 per election cycle to federal political candidates.Corporations can also donate unlimited sums directly to super PACs. But it’s extremely rare for a media company to so heavily fund such a group set up for the express purpose of electing a single political candidate. Newsmax’s donation to 1820 PAC is all the more noteworthy due to its alignment with the political activity of Ruddy, the company’s top executive, and the company’s simultaneous promotion of Collins’ candidacy through its regular coverage of the Maine Senate race. The contribution also came just months after Khan recounted Newsmax executives’ meddling in the company’s news coverage.Newsmax has in the past scrutinized and been critical of political donations by journalists and media executives that could be seen as conflicts of interest. When it was revealed during the 2016 presidential campaign that ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos had donated $ 75,000 to the Clinton Foundation, Newsmax’s print and TV arms ran a number of stories relaying allegations of a breach of journalistic ethics. None mentioned Newsmax’s own $ 1-million financial pledge to the foundation.“WikiLeaks email revelations from Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta,” a Newsmax columnist wrote the following year, “show that not only is there a deep connection with the media—reporters, opinion writers, and news anchors—but it also reaches as high as the corporate executive suite.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
While Jay-Z and Beyonce were sitting during the National Anthem, President Trump was also making a spectacle of himself with lots of … Trump-esq hand gestures. The Prez held his annual Super Bowl viewing party at Mar-a-Lago, and joined everyone…
While Jay-Z and Beyonce were sitting during the National Anthem, President Trump was also making a spectacle of himself with lots of … Trump-esq hand gestures. The Prez held his annual Super Bowl viewing party at Mar-a-Lago, and joined everyone…
E-40 has a little treat for the San Francisco 49ers after Super Bowl LIV — a bottle of his very own tequila for everyone on the staff … who he thinks are gonna kill it. We got Forty Water in Miami Sunday just hours before kickoff, and he was…
Demi Lovato fulfilled her own 10-year prophecy by belting out the National Anthem at Super Bowl LIV — and she handled it like a pro. The singer was decked out in all white Sunday at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami ahead of kickoff and with a line…
We’re minutes out from kickoff at Super Bowl LIV, and the biggest stars are starting to arrive. Some of the more familiar faces thus far … Shaq, Jay-Z, Meek Mill, A-Rod, Keegan-Michael Key, Kevin Hart and more are making their way into Hard Rock…
Beyonce, Jay-Z and their kid, Blue Ivy, chose not to stand up for the National Anthem at Super Bowl LIV … even with Jay being a big partner of the league now. The Carters were sitting together a few rows back from the field, and they clearly…
Jennifer Lopez and Shakira just brought Miami to its knees with a Super Bowl Halftime performance for the ages … one which Shak opened, and J Lo tied up in the end. The two Latina singers were co-headliners Sunday during the big game, and things…
The Big Game means big paydays for celebs … and Nicki Minaj, DaBaby, Lil Baby and Yo Gotti are among the famous folks cashing in on appearances at Super Bowl parties in Miami. One of the biggest cash cows for rappers this weekend is Studio 23 in…
Josie Canseco is soaking up all Miami has to offer during Super Bowl week … and that means plenty of sunshine and epic yacht parties!!! Check out these pics of the smoking hot model showing off her flawless figure in a pink bikini Thursday aboard…
PETA has its own Super Bowl spot, featuring animated animals taking a knee to protest injustice, but the Colin Kaepernick vibes were too strong to get network approval … at least that’s what PETA thinks. The animal rights org tells TMZ … it…
The crowd at Super Bowl 54 might look like a Grammy Awards after-party, because it’s going to include some of the biggest names in music … TMZ has learned. Our SB sources tell us … stars like Cardi B, Lady Gaga and DJ Khaled are expected to be…
Swae Lee is making his pitch to sing the National Anthem at Super Bowl LV next year … by showing off his falsetto. We got one half of the hip-hop duo, Rae Sremmurd, at Beauty and Essex Sunday night and asked him about Demi Lovato singing the…
No one expected the Titans to wreck Lamar Jackson and the Ravens … that is, no one except Chris Johnson … and he tells TMZ Sports his old team is about to pull off ANOTHER huge upset!! Mike Vrabel’s squad came away with the 28-12 dub over…
Look at Bill Belichick’s face … that’s the MOST we’ve ever seen him smile — and it’s all because he’s on a sick vacation with his beautiful girlfriend … and still reppin’ Boston, HARD! Bill and Linda Holliday are vacationing off the coast of…
Nearly $ 12 MILLION worth of fake championship and team rings are now OFF the market … so say U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials — who say they just seized 177 counterfeit pieces! CBP officials announced Tuesday they found nearly 200…
A former L.A. Rams ticket exec claims he was FIRED from his job for saying New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung was a “bitch” in the Super Bowl … and now he can’t get hired anywhere. The guy behind the suit is Matthew Hogan — who…
What does LeBron James wear on his feet for a romantic dinner date at the hottest sushi spot in L.A.?? Nothin’ fancy … just a totally super rare set of kicks you’ll never find in stores!! The King and his beautiful wife, Savannah, met up with some…
Saints fans are still pissed about getting screwed in the NFC Championship game — and they’re protesting Super Bowl LIII the only way NOLA knows how … partying it up big time. The Who Dat faithful took to the streets Sunday by the thousands…
Conor McGregor is BACK in America — this time, no violence … just cuteness!! The UFC superstar and his 1-year-old son, Conor Jr., just arrived at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, in matching purple suits … and they’re both STYLIN’!!! Conor is…
The Super Bowl LIII halftime came and went, and it featured A LOT of Adam Levine … who stripped down until there was practically nothing left up top. Maroon 5 took center stage Sunday midway through the big game, and they ran through a bunch of…
The NFL tried telling Barstool Sports to stay away, but the company’s president insisted on attending Super Bowl LIII … and just got his ass thrown out in handcuffs. Dave Portnoy was hauled away by security Sunday during Maroon 5’s halftime show…
Tom Brady’s G.O.A.T.-ness just got even G.O.A.T.-ier, ’cause he and the Patriots have picked up their sixth Super Bowl win … which looked just as good on the field as it did off of it. The Pats beat the L.A. Rams Sunday in Super Bowl LIII at…
Chick-fil-A is punting on the opportunity to score LOTS of potential cash by refusing to open up one very important location for Super Bowl Sunday. Sources connected to the fast-food chain tell us the Chick-fil-A stand inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz…
10:50 AM PT – Acreage’s founder and CEO, Kevin P. Murphy, tells TMZ … the Super Bowl spot was going to be a PSA, not an ad for his company. He says the message was going to be a positive one, emphasizing the benefits of cannabis with…
The times they are a-changin’ … which is why a legendary NFL wide receiver thinks Julio Jones and Antonio Brown should team up to win it all. TMZ Sports got Cowboys HOF’er Michael Irvin outside of Catch in Weho Friday night, and he tells us he’d…
Katie Cassidy announced she got hitched to her fiance with a joyous shot of her kissing her groom in all white — but right before that … she was steeped in VERY serious thought. The CW’s “Arrow” star posted a sweet photo Sunday of her…