| THE BIG STORY Federal officers are leaving Portland — but headed to other cities Following weeks of controversy about the presence of federal officers in Portland, Oregon, the Trump administration has agreed to withdraw the officers from the city.
They were sent there by President Donald Trump, apparently to restore order to a city besieged by “anarchists” — but many locals said the officers became the actual problem.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said in a tweet that federal officers “have acted as an occupying force & brought violence. Starting tomorrow, all Customs and Border Protection & ICE officers will leave downtown Portland.”
Shortly after announcing that officers would withdraw from Portland, the Justice Department said it would send agents to Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee in what it described as a bid to fight violent crime.
Detractors of the administration have dubbed the move as a stunt designed to help the Trump campaign for reelection on a message of law and order.
Spencer Platt / Getty Images STAYING ON TOP OF THIS A judge blocked Trump’s “public charge” policy on immigrants during the pandemic
In February, the Trump administration expanded a policy that allows the government to deny permanent residency to immigrants who are likely to use public benefits. Yesterday, a federal judge in New York blocked the administration from enforcing the policy during the coronavirus pandemic.
US District Judge George Daniels said the block is in effect for any period during which there is a “national health emergency in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.”
SNAPSHOTS NYPD officers grabbed a protester off the street and sped off in an unmarked van. Several videos captured officers grabbing a protester off the street in the middle of a demonstration, throwing the person into an unmarked van, and speeding away. The NYPD said it arrested the person for criminal mischief and “making graffiti.”
A sheriff told library staff not to call 911 because they were thinking of supporting Black Lives Matter. Staff at libraries in Douglas County, Nevada, were considering adopting a statement in support of Black Lives Matter. The local sheriff sent them a letter telling them not to bother calling 911 for emergencies at the libraries anymore.
Rapper Malik B., a longtime member of The Roots, has died. Malik B. joined the Roots in 1987 and appeared on the group's first four albums. The Roots released a statement on Twitter, saying, “May he be remembered for his devotion to Islam, His loving brotherhood and his innovation as one of the most gifted MCs of all time.”
Jessica Simpson opened up about confronting the woman who sexually abused her as a child. Simpson wrote in her autobiography that she'd been sexually abused between the ages of 6 and 12 by a childhood family friend. In a recent podcast, she spoke about confronting her abuser in a bid to “heal.”
IF YOU CAN'T BEAT 'EM, BUY 'EM
Facebook bought Instagram to neutralize a competitor, emails show Yesterday, the top executives of Facebook, Amazon, Google, and Apple were questioned by Congress about the market power of their companies the and consumer harm they cause.
The hearing came after a Congressional subcommittee spent roughly a year investigating possible antitrust violations by the big technology platforms. As part of the process, the committee gathered records from the companies, including the emails sent between Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook’s former CFO, David Ebersman.
Those emails, first published by the Verge, show that when Zuckerberg was considering buying Instagram in 2012, he told his company’s CFO that it would neutralize a competitor.
“These businesses are nascent but the networks are established, the brands are already meaningful, and if they grow to a large scale they could be very disruptive to us,” Zuckerberg wrote. Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion in the same year.
BREAKING THE INTERNET Martha Stewart said she “had 14 proposals” after her Instagram thirst trap When noted legend Martha Stewart posted an incredible thirst trap last week, the internet was into it.
Now she’s spoken about breaking the internet, and how she immediately “had 14 proposals.”
“I don’t know what for, but they’re proposals,” said Stewart.
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