“There’s no reason to hide how I am”

Historic firsts from Election Day, skepticism over gun restrictions at the Supreme Court, and what happens to your trash after you throw it away

NOVEMBER 4, 2021 THE BIG STORY   These are some of the major historic firsts from the 2021 elections Boston Mayor-elect Michelle Wu addresses supporters at her election night party, Nov. 2, 2021. Josh Reynolds / AP Michelle Wu, a member of the City Council, will be the next mayor of Boston. She is the first woman and person of color to become mayor in Boston, a city that has been led by white men mayors for 200 years. Wu is also the youngest mayoral candidate to be elected in nearly a century. Elaine O'Neal was elected the first Black woman mayor to lead the city of Durham, North Carolina. The former district and superior court judge focused her campaign on issues of public safety, transportation, and economic recovery. Abdullah Hammoud will become the first Arab American mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, a city with one of the largest Arab American populations in the nation. "To the young girls and boys who have ever been ridiculed for their faith or ethnicity ... today is proof that you are as American as anyone else," Hammoud said in his victory speech. Six Republicans who went to Washington, DC, on Jan. 6 to prop up former president Donald Trump's false claims of voter fraud won their own elections on Tuesday night. These are just a few of the groundbreaking changes in local politics that happened this election week. Learn more about the historic 2021 candidates here. STAYING ON TOP OF THIS   What happens to your trash after you throw it away? Waste management is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to facing climate change. But with the average American producing 1,825 pounds of trash a year, it's an unsustainable practice that's becoming increasingly hard to overlook. As thousands of diplomats and activists convene in Glasgow to discuss the worsening climate crisis at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, we gathered some photos of landfills across the globe that are worth spending a minute with: An aerial view of the Aleksinsky Karyer solid waste landfill in the town of Klin, Russia, in 2018. Sergei Bobylev / TASS   A waste picker walks with a load of recyclable waste on her head in the Mbeubeuss rubbish dump in Dakar in July 2021. John Wessels / AFP via Getty Images   Pieces of dinnerware that did not meet standards for retail sale or recycling in a landfill on the grounds of the Fiesta Tableware Co. factory in Newell, West Virginia, in July 2021. Luke Sharrett / Bloomberg via Getty Images   Birds fly near garbage collected from an area that used to be a landfill and will be diverted into a green park in Zakho, district of Dohuk, Iraq, in January 2020. Ari Jalal / Reuters SNAPSHOTS   Australia has ordered Clearview AI to delete all facial recognition data belonging to its citizens. The move follows a pair of BuzzFeed News investigations revealing widespread and sometimes unsanctioned use of the company's facial recognition software by law enforcement agencies around the world.   Gov. Phil Murphy narrowly won reelection in New Jersey, in another troubling sign for Democrats. Murphy is the first Democratic governor to win reelection in the state since 1977 — but the final results were unexpectedly very close.   After a crushing loss in Virginia, Democrats are splintering over their social policy plan in Congress. While party members still insist they will get a deal done that addresses climate change and provides support for families, the optimism from last week has noticeably diminished. Just one Black person is on the jury in Ahmaud Arbery's killing even though a judge agreed it appeared to be "intentional discrimination." The move ensured that the three men accused of fatally shooting Arbery on Feb. 23, 2020, as he was jogging in Brunswick, Georgia, will face an overwhelmingly white jury in their upcoming trial. GUN CONTROL HEADS TO THE SUPREME COURT   The Supreme Court's conservatives seem skeptical of gun restrictions During a major gun rights case on Wednesday, the court's conservative majority sounded skeptical of a New York state law that requires people to have a "proper cause" to get a permit to carry a concealed gun in public.   That requirement means New Yorkers have to show a specific need for self-defense that isn't just speculative, something that Chief Justice John Roberts questioned as "unusual" for constitutional rights. "You don't have to say when you're looking for a permit to speak on a street corner, whatever, that, you know, your speech is particularly important," Roberts said.   New York Solicitor General Barbara Underwood countered that New York has had this law in place for more than a century, and that it has a public safety interest in restricting who can carry firearms in public. This is the first big Second Amendment case the court has taken up in more than a decade. Gun violence is the leading cause of premature death in the country, responsible for more than 38,000 deaths annually. As of Nov. 3, at least 37,697 people have died from gun violence this year, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. "THERE'S NO REASON TO HIDE HOW I AM"   How skater Brooklinn Khoury changed her approach as an influencer after a dog attack disfigured her face Khoury at Venice Beach Skate Park in October 2021. Ryan Young for BuzzFeed News What does an Instagram influencer do when a key moneymaker — their face — is dramatically changed in a way that doesn't correlate with traditional beauty standards? For Brooklinn Khoury, it meant reevaluating her relationship to social media — which in turn brought her more followers.   After a relative's dog tore off her upper lip and parts of her nose in November 2020, Khoury started posting on YouTube about her road to recovery, documenting everything from her first meal since the attack to how she changed the bandages on her face. (Her first video, one week after the accident, has amassed nearly 200,000 views.)    "I just decided there's no reason to hide how I am," she said.   Now, Khoury receives at least 10 DMs per week from dog attack survivors sharing their stories or thanking her for telling her own. She's stopped using filters on social media and curates her feed to focus on skateboarding.   "Beauty is so prescribed in so many ways," Khoury told BuzzFeed News. "I don't want to go on social media and feel like I'm not a whole person, looks-wise." Today and everyday, you are offering something unique to the universe, Alexa 📝  This letter was edited and brought to you by Alexa Lee and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.     👉 Your support of BuzzFeed's journalism does not constitute a charitable donation, and your contribution is not eligible for a tax-deduction. This is part of an effort to explore a deeper relationship with our most active supporters. 🔔  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. 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