Jane Austen may have been born 250 years ago, but her spirit lives on in the still-standing places she wrote about—as long as their literary importance is honored. Ashe Park House is one of those places. The sprawling, 232-acre estate is located in the north Hampshire countryside, just one mile from Austen’s birthplace of Steventon. Sadly, despite petitions from locals and heritage groups, it’s set to be demolished. The estate was purchased in October 2022 for almost $22 million. Shortly after, the new owners applied to tear the historic home down because it was “tired and unmanaged.” At least 20 locals objected to the demolition, citing its cultural and historical importance as a result of its connection to Austen, who visited the home on numerous occasions and mentioned it in her letters. SAVE Britain’s Heritage argued that, “the building is an important heritage asset for Hampshire and its demolition would cause unjustified harm.” Neighbor Caroline Sykes said of the demolition, “It is such a waste. It is not a listed house, which does not work in its favor, but it has got historical interest.” Council planners, however, have already approved the owner’s demolition plans.

President Donald Trump claims he doesn’t fire people for ridiculous reasons—which seems to include leaking (potentially) classified information. Following this week’s Signal group chat fiasco, numerous reports have surfaced claiming that the president has quietly contemplated firing national security adviser Mike Waltz, and has even talked with some of his most trusted advisers to get their thoughts on the matter. But Trump is claiming those reports are completely untrue. In response to a question from NBC’s Kristen Welker as to whether he still has confidence in Waltz and defense secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump responded, “I do and I think it’s just a witch hunt and the fake news.” When pressed on the question of whether there had been discussions around firing Waltz or anyone else involved in Signalgate, Trump said, “Nobody else makes that decision but me, and I’ve never heard it... I don’t fire people because of fake news and because of witch hunts.” He added, “I have no idea what Signal is. I don’t care what Signal is. All I can tell you is it’s just a witch hunt, and it’s the only thing the press wants to talk about, because you have nothing else to talk about.”

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Bruce Glover, star of Diamonds Are Forever and Chinatown and father of acclaimed actor Crispin Glover, has passed away at the age of 92. Crispin, star of the Back to the Future and the Charlie’s Angels film series, announced his father’s passing on Instagram with a series of posts. Bruce Glover played assassin Mr. Wint in the Sean Connery-led 1971 Bond film, as well as Duffy in Chinatown and Grady Coker in the Walking Tall series. Glover, who was born in Chicago, had two children including Crispin, and was widowed in 2016 following the death of his wife Betty. Despite never taking an acting class, Glover was committed to producing work that was unique; in a 2019 interview, he explained, “If I am anything as an actor, it is that I will never be the usual,” continuing, “I will be the unusual, and I intend to continue that whatever I am doing, whether it be acting, or I’m writing, or I am going to be painting or whatever I am going to be doing. It is uniquely my own.”

The U.S. Institute of Peace is conducting layoffs after a dramatic faceoff with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) earlier this month. On Friday, five employees reported receiving termination letters effective immediately and told Politico that they believe the firings are organization-wide. The dismissals come after Trump’s administration sought to overhaul the agency, with Trump dissolving most of the institute’s board and firing nearly all of the members. On March 17, Deputy White House Press Secretary Anna Kelly posted on X that the remaining three members—including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and President of the National Defense University Peter Garvin—removed the president and appointed Kenneth Jackson in his place. She called previous president George Moose “a career bureaucrat who wants to be unaccountable to the American people.” Soon after, Jackson and members of the D.C. police snuck their way into the building despite staff resistance. The security contracting firm that let them in said DOGE had “threatened all of their federal contacts if they did not permit entry.” DOGE’s attempt to take over the USIP may have lasting repercussions for relationships overseas as the Congress-funded nonprofit promotes conflict resolution mechanisms and works toward global peace.

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Kenneth Edward Bailey, better known as Young Scooter—a successful rapper who worked with Future and Gucci Mane—died at just 39 years old after trying to flee from the police. The Atlanta-based musician was pronounced dead Friday—tragically, his birthday—after he tried jumping two fences while fleeing from authorities and ended up with a fatal leg injury. Police were dispatched to the rapper’s location after a caller said that gunshots were fired and a female was “dragged back into the location.” The lieutenant said that officers knocked but when the man inside opened the door, he quickly shut it again in their faces. The police were working on “establishing a perimeter” around the home when two men suddenly fled out the back of the property. One returned to the house while the other, who is now believed to be Young Scooter, tried jumping over a pair of fences. He was found with a leg injury near the second fence and rushed to the emergency room, where he was pronounced dead. Young Scooter rose to fame after he signed to Freebandz, Future’s record label, in 2012. His career included collaborations with Future, Gucci Mane, Young Dolph, and Chief Keef. On Saturday morning the rapper’s son, Kenneth Bailey Jr., shared his heartbreaking reaction to the news on Instagram Stories. After calling out the Atlanta Police Department for what be believes is their role in his dad’s death, Bailey wrote that he was “broken into [a] million pieces” and lamented that “my best friend[‘s] gone.”

Conservative pundit Megyn Kelly thinks California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is a “very smart” man. While some liberals have dismissed Newsom as cozying up to MAGA by having conservative pundits as guests on his new podcast, Kelly told The New York Times that she thinks it’s the “right move.” “I think he’s very smart to do it,” she said. “He’ll probably be pretty good at it, because he’s been a public speaker for a living, and he could really benefit, as I think most people on the left could, from having his ideas tested.” In addition to chats with liberal voices such as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and The New York Times’s Ezra Klein, Newsom has had some on-air debates with MAGA strategist Steve Bannon and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. “The right is very good at having these debates, because they have to have them everywhere,” Kelly said. “In this arena, it’s times 10, because that’s all we do: Debate all day, test our ideas, kick them around, get embarrassed, try to correct it, do better the next time.” She added, “So he’s late to the party, but he’s right to join it.”

Political advisor, commentator and former Fox News Steve Hilton joined this week’s episode of The Daily Beast Podcast to discuss his forthcoming book, Califailure. As its title suggests, the book addresses rising crime, homelessness, sky-high taxes and other crises in the Golden State (which he blames “far-left” policies for), but also offers solutions which Hilton confirmed he’d like to put into action—in elected office. The self-described “populist,” a former political advisor to David Cameron, said he is “strongly considering” running for the state’s governorship—to succeed the term-limited Gavin Newsom—but added he wouldn’t confirm anything until he’s sure he’d “want to do it in order to win,” not just to “make a point.” (Still, he assured co-hosts Samantha Bee and Joanna Coles that he would announce his plans before Kamala Harris, who has reportedly planned to make a decision as to whether she’ll enter the race by the end of summer.) When asked by Coles what his slogan would be, he replied: “Restore the California dream.” This is also the slogan of his organization Golden Together, a non-political organization that examines California policy.

New episodes of The Daily Beast Podcast are released every Thursday. Like and download on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. And click here for email updates as each new episode drops.

A Delta flight nearly collided with an Air Force jet over Washington, D.C., setting off warning alarms in the passenger plane’s cockpit on Friday, according to CNN. Delta flight 2983, carrying 131 passengers, took off from Ronald Reagan Airport while four of the military’s T-38 Talons were inbound to Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover. One of the aircraft swiped close enough to trigger a warning on the Delta Airbus, after which air traffic controllers issued corrective directions to both planes, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told CNN in a statement. The FAA will investigate the incident, it said. The close call was near the site of the collision between an American Airlines flight and Blackhawk military helicopter that killed 67 people two months ago. A string of American aviation disasters and near misses over the past few months have raised concerns about air safety as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have sought to cut the federal workforce, including at the FAA.

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The estimated death toll from a 7.7-magnitude earthquake Friday that was centered in Myanmar, but which led to casualties in neighboring countries as well, is likely to be at least 10,000, according to models by the United States Geological Survey. The quake’s epicenter was only 10 miles from Mandalay, the war-torn country’s second-largest city, which has an estimated population of 1.5 million. A 6.4-magnitude aftershock occurred minutes later, according to the USGS, with less powerful ones striking over the following few hours. The densely populated region, combined with the integrity of structures, has factored into experts’ high fatality forecasts. In addition to Myanmar, damage also occurred in Bangkok, Thailand, with a partially built skyscraper tumbling down. The number dead from that alone is at least eight, with dozens more missing, authorities said. Shaking was also felt in Bangladesh, Vietnam, and China. Both the United Nations and the United States have indicated they will provide assistance.

A death row inmate in Florida is asking for mercy due to his “morbid” obesity. Michael Tanzi, 48, wants “leniency” for his scheduled execution next month due to health issues including his weight. His lawyer’s appeal reads that Tanzi “is morbidly obese and suffers from severe chronic sciatica,” alongside “hyperlipidemia, uncontrolled hypertension, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.” According to NBC News, Tanzi claims that his lethal injection execution would violate the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. “The existing protocols for lethal injection do not contemplate the execution of someone with obesity and uncontrolled medical conditions, like Mr. Tanzi’s, that are likely to complicate the lethal injection process,” the appeal reads, according to the outlet. Tanzi was arrested in 2000 for kidnapping a woman, then killing her. Florida’s Attorney General denied the appeal, and wrote that his concerns were “meritless.” Despite the rejection, his lawyers are asking the court to undo the AG’s order.