On Thursday, The Daily Beast profiled Thomas Webster, a retired New York City police officer who guarded Ground Zero after 9/11 — and is now accused of savagely beating a Capitol Police officer and tearing at his mask so aggressively he's known as the "eye gouger."

"In the 2006 civil action, Webster was one of a large number of plaintiffs suing a host of parties connected to the World Trade Center. He sought compensation for effects on his physical and mental health that he claimed to have suffered during 20 days between Dec. 13, 2001, and April 5, 2002, when he was assigned to provide security at the 'WTC site,'" reported Michael Daly. "A fill-in-the-blanks complaint dated Sept. 18, 2006, says Webster was exposed to toxic fumes and substances that caused him a host of woes. Each is accompanied by a notation reading, 'Onset 6/1/2003,' or more than a year after his 20 days of duty. He specifically cites 'asthma, cough, respiratory problems, shortness of breath' as well as 'fear of cancer' and 'sleep problems.'"

Republican candidates covet the endorsement of former president Donald Trump -- but that backing comes with strings attached.

The defeated president has told several people he prefers candidates who never conceded that he lost the election to Joe Biden, two sources told The Daily Beast, but the Trump camp disputed the characterization.

A declassified report compiled by U.S. intelligence agencies will claim that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Sources tell Reuters that the CIA-led report "assessed that the crown prince approved and likely ordered the murder of Khashoggi, whose Washington Post column had criticized the crown prince's policies."