THE BIG STORY Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died at 87
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the trailblazer who served on the US Supreme Court for more than 25 years, died Friday evening. She was 87. Ginsburg spent nearly 40 years on the bench, first as a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit and then on the Supreme Court. Ginsburg cofounded the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, playing a leading role — if not the key role — in pressing courts to accept legal arguments that laws that treated men and women differently are unconstitutional. Even those she fought most strongly in her efforts acknowledged her role as “the Thurgood Marshall of gender equality law,” a title that put her in the company of the trailblazing civil rights pioneer. In the wake of Ginsburg’s death: 👉 How the Supreme Court will function with eight justices leading up to the election. 👉 Ginsburg’s fellow Supreme Court justices wrote moving tributes to her. 👉 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate will vote on Trump’s replacement for Ginsburg. But two Republican Senators have already said they won’t support replacing her before the election. 👉 Joe Biden said there’s “no doubt” the next presidentshould nominate Ginsburg’s replacement. 👉 Moving tributes are pouring in for Ginsburg, celebrating her legacy as a “feminist icon.” Group chats became vital for people mourning her death. 👉Hollywood is showing appreciation for Ginsburg, too. Justice Ginsburg in 1993. Ron Sachs / Getty Images THE FINCEN FILES We just launched our biggest investigation ever
Yesterday, we released The FinCEN Files. It is a colossal piece of journalism. Secret documents show how criminals use famous banks to finance terror and death, and the government doesn’t stop it. The FinCEN Files investigation reveals how drug war profits, money embezzled from developing countries, and savings stolen in a Ponzi scheme were allowed to flow in and out of these financial institutions despite warnings. Over the next few days, we’ll be releasing more stories from this investigation. Here are the first few: How Deutsche let dirty clients run rampant. When the $10 billion “mirror trading scandal” was exposed, little emerged about who its victims were or how much Deutsche’s executives knew. The FinCEN Files investigation shows how deep the rot went. He was at the heart of two of the biggest dirty money scandals in history. These are his secrets. Alexander Perepilichnyy transformed himself from a money launderer to a whistleblower, and then he died. The company he founded began a new life in the criminal underworld. A FinCEN Files investigation. Explore thousands of suspicious payments sent around the world. An interactive map shows $35 billion in transactions — reported as suspicious by banks and other financial institutions — making their way through the global financial system. 👉 And if you’d like to read more about how BuzzFeed News pulled off this project — it started when we received a remarkable collection of secret government documents. SNAPSHOTS President Donald Trump has lambasted Puerto Rico for years. Now with the election close, he’s changing his tune. Trump repeatedly attacked Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, but he took a different tone on Friday as he released funds already approved by Congress for the island’s recovery. New video shows an LAPD officer shooting a protester directly in the groin with a foam projectile. Ben Montemayor, 28, said that he suffered serious injuries to his testicles and had to have emergency surgery or risk losing his right testicle entirely. The pandemic has exacerbated the gender divide in household labor. The coronavirus pandemic has increased the demands of child care and household — but not for most dads. Here are the winners of the 2020 Emmy Awards. I mean, look, Schitt’s Creek won, and I guess so did other shows. Here’s a full list of the winners. “I'VE LOST MY BEST FRIEND” Friends and family members of QAnon believers are going through “a surreal goddamn nightmare”
Recently, BuzzFeed News shifted its language when it comes to talking about QAnon — we no longer refer to it as a “conspiracy theory,” but rather a “collective delusion.” Our copy team explains what’s behind that decision: QAnon is much bigger — and far more dangerous — than other conspiracy theories. Reporter Jane Lytvynenko sought out the stories of the friends and family members of QAnon believers. Almost 200 people told us what it’s been like to lose a loved one to the delusion. The stories are utterly heartbreaking. One that really stuck with me is the story of one parent who wrote that “My son is refusing to go to his dad's house. He is always telling me he wants his old dad back, and it has caused my son so much anxiety.” FIGHT FIRE WITH FACTS A firefighter has gone viral thanks to his wildfire debunks on TikTok
Michael Clark, a firefighter based in Hawaii, has been watching the devastating wildfires of the West Coast closely. So when he started seeing unfounded conspiracy theories about the fires, he decided to do something. He posted TikToks of himself debunking popular conspiracy videos. In turn, Clark’s videos have gone massively viral, getting millions of views. Clark’s videos are great, but we shouldn’t lose the sight of absurdity that somehow, firefighters are now enlisted to fight both literal fires and the trash fires of the internet. Ease into your day this morning — don't rush yourself, Elamin P.S. If you like this newsletter, help keep our reporting free for all. Support BuzzFeed News by becoming a member here. (Monthly memberships are available worldwide). 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Elamin Abdelmahmoud and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here. 🔔 Want to be notified as soon as news breaks? Download the BuzzFeed News app for iOS and Android (available in Canadian, UK, Australian, and US app stores). 💌 Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up to get BuzzFeed News in your inbox! Show privacy notice and cookie policy. BuzzFeed, Inc. 111 E. 18th St. New York, NY 10003 Unsubscribe |