A profitable pandemic
THE BIG STORY
The Biden administration will argue to keep most of a Trump-era Justice Department memo secret
This case is particularly interesting because it's one of the first big tests of how far the Justice Department under Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland will go to defend the actions of the previous administration.
The test is this: There's a secret March 2019 memo that former attorney general Bill Barr cited in concluding there wasn't enough evidence to support accusing Donald Trump of obstructing the Russia investigation. What should be done with this memo?
Well, a federal judge in Washington, DC, ordered the memo released earlier this month, excoriating Barr and other department officials who fought to keep it secret.
Calling Barr and the Justice Department "disingenuous," US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson wrote that the memo — which the judge read over DOJ's objection — made clear that it was a "given" that Trump wouldn't be prosecuted, and that the officials who wrote it provided advice that was more "strategic" than legal.
But the Biden administration wants to fight that order — the department notified the judge late Monday evening that it would appeal her May 3 order requiring the DOJ to turn over the full, unredacted copy of the memo. Attorney General Merrick Garland (left) and former attorney general Bill Barr. Pool / Win Mcnamee / Getty Images STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
Police in Delhi have descended on Twitter's headquarters in the country
Late last week, Twitter put a "manipulated media" label on the tweets of half a dozen members of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, in which they accused the main opposition party of scheming to damage Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his handling of the pandemic.
Three days later, on Monday, a team of officers from the Special Cell, an elite branch of the police in charge of investigating terrorism and organized crime in New Delhi, descended on Twitter's offices in the city to "serve a notice" to the head of Twitter in India.
This isn't the first showdown between Twitter and India's government. In February, the company refused to censor tweets belonging to journalists, activists, and politicians in the country despite being ordered by India's government to do so. SNAPSHOTS
AP staffers demanded to know why Emily Wilder was fired after a "smear campaign" over her pro-Palestinian activism. More than 100 Associated Press employees have criticized the way the news organization fired a young journalist last week. Staffers demanded more clarity from the company about why Emily Wilder, 22, was fired as a news associate in Phoenix only three weeks into her job.
A picturesque cabin in the woods was listed on Airbnb. The catch? No COVID-vaccinated guests allowed. The listing promises guests "a safe place to rest, relax, enjoy nature and the surrounding activities," but no vaccinated people allowed. Airbnb told BuzzFeed News the listing for the cabin in Montana violated its COVID misinformation policies.
Online hate becomes real-world violence in Israel-Palestine. As an uneasy ceasefire takes hold in Israel–Palestine, digital terror is not slowing down. One Israeli group that combats disinformation has been tracking the online hate, harassment, and coordination of physical violence that have sprouted across social media channels. MONEY WEEK 2021
Meet the small business owners and workers who actually had a profitable pandemic
This week, we're kicking off Money Week at BuzzFeed News. Money is fascinating and awkward to talk about at the best of times, but it's even more complicated during a pandemic.
2020 was a year of acute economic turmoil for many Americans. The job losses were staggering — one study from Yelp found that almost 100,000 businesses that had been open in April had closed permanently by September — almost 500 per day.
You might find it surprising, then, that some businesses not only survived, but thrived. Veterinary practices, florists, liquor stores, and yurts all turned out to be pretty good small businesses to be in when COVID transformed society.
And while these business owners are enormously proud of their hard work throughout what was still an incredibly difficult and uncertain period, some now find themselves almost feeling guilty for their success. PUNK AF Meet the Linda Lindas, the young punk band whose song about racism rocked the internet
A few days ago, a video of The Linda Lindas performing their song "Racist, Sexist Boy" at the Los Angeles Public Library rocked the internet.
People couldn't get enough of the half-Asian, half-Latinx group, made up of two sisters, their cousin, and close friend who range in age from 10 to 16.
The Linda Lindas practice at home in Los Angeles. Lauren Crew for BuzzFeed News Take time to celebrate your small triumphs today, Elamin 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Elamin Abdelmahmoud and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
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