A new report outlines the minefield of online threats LGBTQ people have to navigate online, from overt state surveillance to tracking via facial recognition to dating app information that gets shared with data brokers and advertisers.Recorded Future, a cybersecurity company, at what queer communities outside North America have to grapple with. The idea, senior director Maggie McDaniel said, was to better understand where deeper security research is needed.“It's kind of daunting,” said Evan Akin, associate intelligence consultant who spearheaded the report. “It just shows how difficult it is...…A new report outlines the minefield of online threats LGBTQ people have to navigate online, from overt state surveillance to tracking via facial recognition to dating app information that gets shared with data brokers and advertisers.Recorded Future, a cybersecurity company, at what queer communities outside North America have to grapple with. The idea, senior director Maggie McDaniel said, was to better understand where deeper security research is needed.“It's kind of daunting,” said Evan Akin, associate intelligence consultant who spearheaded the report. “It just shows how difficult it is...WW…

WASHINGTON — Former college football coach Tommy Tuberville Jeff Sessions in the Alabama Senate runoff Tuesday and will advance to the November general election where he’ll face the Democratic incumbent, Sen. Doug Jones.Tuberville’s win is a victory for President Donald Trump, who backed the former Auburn University coach and railed against Sessions, his former attorney general.Tuberville and Sessions led , which resulted in a runoff because of state law.Sessions held the Senate seat for two decades before being tapped to serve as US attorney general by Trump. The relationship between the...…WASHINGTON — Former college football coach Tommy Tuberville Jeff Sessions in the Alabama Senate runoff Tuesday and will advance to the November general election where he’ll face the Democratic incumbent, Sen. Doug Jones.Tuberville’s win is a victory for President Donald Trump, who backed the former Auburn University coach and railed against Sessions, his former attorney general.Tuberville and Sessions led , which resulted in a runoff because of state law.Sessions held the Senate seat for two decades before being tapped to serve as US attorney general by Trump. The relationship between the...WW…

MJ Hegar will go up against Sen. John Cornyn and attempt to win Texas Democrats their first Senate seat in decades after a on Tuesday.Hegar, an air force veteran and former healthcare worker, garnered national Democratic support early on in the primary race from groups like the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. She was significantly ahead of her competitors in fundraising during the campaign.In the Tuesday runoff, Hegar beat state Sen. Royce West, who had been in office since the early nineties.She campaigned on being a “kickass working mom” who can “get shit done,” and spoke about...…MJ Hegar will go up against Sen. John Cornyn and attempt to win Texas Democrats their first Senate seat in decades after a on Tuesday.Hegar, an air force veteran and former healthcare worker, garnered national Democratic support early on in the primary race from groups like the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. She was significantly ahead of her competitors in fundraising during the campaign.In the Tuesday runoff, Hegar beat state Sen. Royce West, who had been in office since the early nineties.She campaigned on being a “kickass working mom” who can “get shit done,” and spoke about...WW…

Texas Democrats, in the throes of a outbreak, will vote on Tuesday in a tensely personal Senate primary that will begin to answer what the future of their party should look like in a state that suddenly appears to be moving their way.The contest between Air Force veteran MJ Hegar, who describes herself as an “ass-kicking working mom,” and state Sen. Royce West, a Dallas native who has talked at length about his experience as a Black man both being stopped by police and working with them as district attorney, has ignited in recent weeks as each candidate has tried to define the other as...…Texas Democrats, in the throes of a outbreak, will vote on Tuesday in a tensely personal Senate primary that will begin to answer what the future of their party should look like in a state that suddenly appears to be moving their way.The contest between Air Force veteran MJ Hegar, who describes herself as an “ass-kicking working mom,” and state Sen. Royce West, a Dallas native who has talked at length about his experience as a Black man both being stopped by police and working with them as district attorney, has ignited in recent weeks as each candidate has tried to define the other as...WW…

A young woman in Utah lost her job at an aquarium attraction after being told another employee felt threatened by artistic images she'd shared on Facebook of KKK members being lynched.Madison Hartmann, 24, had been an employee at SeaQuest's Utah location for four years but was recently let go over her social media posts. Hartmann, a zoology and anthropology double major at Weber State University, had been working with the attraction's animals including large reptiles, lizards, crocodilians, exotic birds, and mammals."I just really like teaching people about the animals that we share with...…A young woman in Utah lost her job at an aquarium attraction after being told another employee felt threatened by artistic images she'd shared on Facebook of KKK members being lynched.Madison Hartmann, 24, had been an employee at SeaQuest's Utah location for four years but was recently let go over her social media posts. Hartmann, a zoology and anthropology double major at Weber State University, had been working with the attraction's animals including large reptiles, lizards, crocodilians, exotic birds, and mammals."I just really like teaching people about the animals that we share with...WW…

Ilhan Omar’s primary opponent is a virtually unknown Minneapolis lawyer. But Antone Melton-Meaux has raised millions from big-dollar donors in recent months fueled by intense animosity toward Omar, one of the first Muslim women in Congress.“I found out about him because I hate his opponent,” said Stan Weinstein, a retired real estate executive from Miami Beach who gave Melton-Meaux $2,800, the maximum amount allowable by law.“She does not represent the United States, she doesn’t represent our values, and she doesn’t represent our history,” Weinstein said.Michael, a donor from Scarsdale, New...…Ilhan Omar’s primary opponent is a virtually unknown Minneapolis lawyer. But Antone Melton-Meaux has raised millions from big-dollar donors in recent months fueled by intense animosity toward Omar, one of the first Muslim women in Congress.“I found out about him because I hate his opponent,” said Stan Weinstein, a retired real estate executive from Miami Beach who gave Melton-Meaux $2,800, the maximum amount allowable by law.“She does not represent the United States, she doesn’t represent our values, and she doesn’t represent our history,” Weinstein said.Michael, a donor from Scarsdale, New...WW…

AdvertisementPresident Donald Trump on Friday commuted the sentence for his longtime ally Roger Stone, a former Trump campaign adviser who had been sentenced to prison for lying to Congress during the Russia investigation, obstructing investigators, and tampering with witnesses.Rather than spending 40 months in a federal prison, Stone “is now a free man,” according to a White House statement announcing the commutation. Stone was due to surrender to the federal Bureau of Prisons on July 14.Trump for months had been publicly noncommittal about whether he’d grant Stone clemency, but made clear...…AdvertisementPresident Donald Trump on Friday commuted the sentence for his longtime ally Roger Stone, a former Trump campaign adviser who had been sentenced to prison for lying to Congress during the Russia investigation, obstructing investigators, and tampering with witnesses.Rather than spending 40 months in a federal prison, Stone “is now a free man,” according to a White House statement announcing the commutation. Stone was due to surrender to the federal Bureau of Prisons on July 14.Trump for months had been publicly noncommittal about whether he’d grant Stone clemency, but made clear...WW…

A newborn US citizen and his mother were forced to walk back into Mexico just two days after giving birth despite repeated pleas to border officials that they faced danger south of the border, according to a new complaint filed against the government.The Honduran family, including a 25-year-old mother, her 33-year-old partner, and their 9-year-old son, crossed the border on the evening of July 27, presented themselves to Border Patrol agents in San Diego and said they wanted to pursue asylum claims in the US after being threatened by gangs in Honduras, their attorneys say.It wasn't the...…A newborn US citizen and his mother were forced to walk back into Mexico just two days after giving birth despite repeated pleas to border officials that they faced danger south of the border, according to a new complaint filed against the government.The Honduran family, including a 25-year-old mother, her 33-year-old partner, and their 9-year-old son, crossed the border on the evening of July 27, presented themselves to Border Patrol agents in San Diego and said they wanted to pursue asylum claims in the US after being threatened by gangs in Honduras, their attorneys say.It wasn't the...WW…

BuzzFeed News has reporters around the world bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, .The US government told a federal judge late Thursday that immigrant families should not be released from custody more than a week after children were ordered released from ICE detention centers across the country, setting up scenarios in which they could be separated.The government’s position comes after a June 26 order by US District Judge Dolly Gee in a separate case to detained at ICE facilities for families by July 17. Citing COVID-19 concerns,...…BuzzFeed News has reporters around the world bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, .The US government told a federal judge late Thursday that immigrant families should not be released from custody more than a week after children were ordered released from ICE detention centers across the country, setting up scenarios in which they could be separated.The government’s position comes after a June 26 order by US District Judge Dolly Gee in a separate case to detained at ICE facilities for families by July 17. Citing COVID-19 concerns,...WW…

A West Virginia mail carrier is facing prison time after admitting he attempted election fraud by changing the party registrations of people who had requested for the state's June primary, officials announced Thursday.Thomas Cooper, 47, of Dry Fork signed an agreement in which he pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to defraud the residents of West Virginia of a fair election and one count of injury to the mail.In a May 26 criminal complaint, prosecutors detailed how the Clerk of Pendleton County discovered the eight 2020 primary election COVID-19 mail-in absentee requests appeared to...…A West Virginia mail carrier is facing prison time after admitting he attempted election fraud by changing the party registrations of people who had requested for the state's June primary, officials announced Thursday.Thomas Cooper, 47, of Dry Fork signed an agreement in which he pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to defraud the residents of West Virginia of a fair election and one count of injury to the mail.In a May 26 criminal complaint, prosecutors detailed how the Clerk of Pendleton County discovered the eight 2020 primary election COVID-19 mail-in absentee requests appeared to...WW…

WASHINGTON — Monica Davis worked for Equinox, a high-end gym chain, for three years teaching barre and cardio group fitness classes in Southern California. On Thursday, after to BuzzFeed News about her concerns about taking a pay cut and safely returning to teach in the midst of , Davis was fired.Davis told BuzzFeed News for a story published Wednesday that she didn’t feel safe going back to work and that she was upset by Equinox’s decision to pay instructors only 75% of their class fees as gyms reopen. Davis also expressed concerns about her health, saying that she is nervous about the...…WASHINGTON — Monica Davis worked for Equinox, a high-end gym chain, for three years teaching barre and cardio group fitness classes in Southern California. On Thursday, after to BuzzFeed News about her concerns about taking a pay cut and safely returning to teach in the midst of , Davis was fired.Davis told BuzzFeed News for a story published Wednesday that she didn’t feel safe going back to work and that she was upset by Equinox’s decision to pay instructors only 75% of their class fees as gyms reopen. Davis also expressed concerns about her health, saying that she is nervous about the...WW…

BuzzFeed News has reporters around the world bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, .MEXICO CITY — At first, S.G. thought it was fake news.An undergraduate student from Venezuela, S.G. has been living in Florida for four years. The news she received earlier this week seemed as bizarre and implausible as some of the rumors that regularly float around in her home country. But this was happening in the US, and it was happening to her.On Monday, the Trump administration announced that foreign students whose course loads are carried out...…BuzzFeed News has reporters around the world bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, .MEXICO CITY — At first, S.G. thought it was fake news.An undergraduate student from Venezuela, S.G. has been living in Florida for four years. The news she received earlier this week seemed as bizarre and implausible as some of the rumors that regularly float around in her home country. But this was happening in the US, and it was happening to her.On Monday, the Trump administration announced that foreign students whose course loads are carried out...WW…

BuzzFeed News has reporters around the world bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, .A top health official in Oklahoma said Wednesday that last month and the protests associated with the event "more than likely" contributed to the surge in coronavirus cases.In Tulsa County, 206 new cases of COVID-19 were identified on Tuesday, Dr. Bruce Dart, director of the Tulsa City–County Health Department, told reporters at a . On Monday, there were 261 cases — a record high for the county."Right now we do have the highest number of cases [in...…BuzzFeed News has reporters around the world bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, .A top health official in Oklahoma said Wednesday that last month and the protests associated with the event "more than likely" contributed to the surge in coronavirus cases.In Tulsa County, 206 new cases of COVID-19 were identified on Tuesday, Dr. Bruce Dart, director of the Tulsa City–County Health Department, told reporters at a . On Monday, there were 261 cases — a record high for the county."Right now we do have the highest number of cases [in...WW…

A Muslim teenager has filed a human rights complaint after a barista at a Minnesota Starbucks gave her a cup with “ISIS” written on it instead of her name.On July 1, Aishah and a friend were at a Starbucks inside a Target store in St. Paul. The 19-year-old, who asked that her last name not be used due to safety concerns, said the barista had asked her to repeat her name when taking the order. But when Aishah was handed her drink, it came with “ISIS” written on it instead of her name.“I felt a lot of emotions, and shock was the main one because I actually couldn’t believe this was...…A Muslim teenager has filed a human rights complaint after a barista at a Minnesota Starbucks gave her a cup with “ISIS” written on it instead of her name.On July 1, Aishah and a friend were at a Starbucks inside a Target store in St. Paul. The 19-year-old, who asked that her last name not be used due to safety concerns, said the barista had asked her to repeat her name when taking the order. But when Aishah was handed her drink, it came with “ISIS” written on it instead of her name.“I felt a lot of emotions, and shock was the main one because I actually couldn’t believe this was...WW…

The Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration Wednesday, granting businesses and universities the ability to refuse to provide birth control coverage for their employees for religious or moral reasons.The decision pertains to two cases — which the Supreme Court combined and heard together over video chat in May — and .Both cases concern an Obama administration–era requirement under the Affordable Care Act which mandated that all employers in the US provide their employees with insurance coverage for contraception, or apply for an exemption that would enable their employees to get...…The Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration Wednesday, granting businesses and universities the ability to refuse to provide birth control coverage for their employees for religious or moral reasons.The decision pertains to two cases — which the Supreme Court combined and heard together over video chat in May — and .Both cases concern an Obama administration–era requirement under the Affordable Care Act which mandated that all employers in the US provide their employees with insurance coverage for contraception, or apply for an exemption that would enable their employees to get...WW…

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released Tuesday that makes it easier for payday lenders to give out high-interest loans to people who may not be able to repay them.The CFPB rule undoes an Obama-era requirement that payday lenders must first assess whether someone taking out a loan can actually afford to repay it. Essentially, it would have put the same onus on payday lenders that banks have for giving out long-term loans like mortgages.Democrats and consumer advocates accused the Trump administration of gutting protections for the most vulnerable consumers in the...…WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released Tuesday that makes it easier for payday lenders to give out high-interest loans to people who may not be able to repay them.The CFPB rule undoes an Obama-era requirement that payday lenders must first assess whether someone taking out a loan can actually afford to repay it. Essentially, it would have put the same onus on payday lenders that banks have for giving out long-term loans like mortgages.Democrats and consumer advocates accused the Trump administration of gutting protections for the most vulnerable consumers in the...WW…

Miami is shutting down restaurants and gyms just one month after reopening them, as cases of spike across the city.The measures in Miami-Dade County are being taken in order to flatten the curve and not overwhelm already struggling hospitals, county officials said, blaming graduation parties and indoor dining."We want to ensure that our hospitals continue to have the staffing necessary to save lives," Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez said in a press release .Restaurants (except for takeout and delivery), gyms, short-term rentals and party venues will be shut again from Wednesday....…Miami is shutting down restaurants and gyms just one month after reopening them, as cases of spike across the city.The measures in Miami-Dade County are being taken in order to flatten the curve and not overwhelm already struggling hospitals, county officials said, blaming graduation parties and indoor dining."We want to ensure that our hospitals continue to have the staffing necessary to save lives," Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez said in a press release .Restaurants (except for takeout and delivery), gyms, short-term rentals and party venues will be shut again from Wednesday....WW…

A frustrated Ron Wyden, Democratic senator from Oregon, is hoping his third request for documents from the State Department about US policy toward Ukraine will finally do the trick.Wyden says the department has refused to give Senate Democrats any documents while providing thousands of pages to Senate Republicans to aid their inquiry into the work of former vice president Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, in the Eastern European country.On Tuesday, Wyden, the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, sent a third letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanding that he provide...…A frustrated Ron Wyden, Democratic senator from Oregon, is hoping his third request for documents from the State Department about US policy toward Ukraine will finally do the trick.Wyden says the department has refused to give Senate Democrats any documents while providing thousands of pages to Senate Republicans to aid their inquiry into the work of former vice president Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, in the Eastern European country.On Tuesday, Wyden, the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, sent a third letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanding that he provide...WW…

BuzzFeed News has reporters around the world bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, .Atlanta Mayor announced Monday she has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel , as Georgia fights an uptick in cases of the virus.Bottoms, who is seen as a top contender to be , tweeted that she had no symptoms when she tested positive.Bottoms told MSNBC's Joy Reid that her husband also tested positive for COVID-19, despite the fact that they had been taken precautions and both tested negative two weeks ago."It leaves me for...…BuzzFeed News has reporters around the world bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, .Atlanta Mayor announced Monday she has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel , as Georgia fights an uptick in cases of the virus.Bottoms, who is seen as a top contender to be , tweeted that she had no symptoms when she tested positive.Bottoms told MSNBC's Joy Reid that her husband also tested positive for COVID-19, despite the fact that they had been taken precautions and both tested negative two weeks ago."It leaves me for...WW…

Lois Dennis started teaching second grade in the village of Bethel, Ohio — official population just under 2,800 — back in 1976. People in town call her Mrs. Dennis. And that’s the name people used online when they started denouncing what happened that Sunday afternoon in June when Bethel made national news for an explosion of violence on its streets: I can’t believe they did that to Mrs. Dennis.Lois’s adult daughter, Andrea, was visiting from Chicago. Earlier in the week, they’d heard that local substitute history teacher Alicia Gee was planning a small demonstration in Bethel . They made...…Lois Dennis started teaching second grade in the village of Bethel, Ohio — official population just under 2,800 — back in 1976. People in town call her Mrs. Dennis. And that’s the name people used online when they started denouncing what happened that Sunday afternoon in June when Bethel made national news for an explosion of violence on its streets: I can’t believe they did that to Mrs. Dennis.Lois’s adult daughter, Andrea, was visiting from Chicago. Earlier in the week, they’d heard that local substitute history teacher Alicia Gee was planning a small demonstration in Bethel . They made...WW…

On a winter afternoon in 2015, NYPD Lt. Paul Gaglio grabbed an 11-year-old girl, threw her to the sidewalk, and cuffed her.Gaglio that the girl, accused of stealing a cellphone, tried to resist arrest through “intimidation, physical force, or interference,” and that the two of them had slipped on a patch of ice.But an independent police oversight agency that reviewed from a nearby storefront determined Gaglio had used a chokehold, a move that New York Police Department rules ban except in “” because it can injure or even kill. The investigators also raised concerns that in describing the...…On a winter afternoon in 2015, NYPD Lt. Paul Gaglio grabbed an 11-year-old girl, threw her to the sidewalk, and cuffed her.Gaglio that the girl, accused of stealing a cellphone, tried to resist arrest through “intimidation, physical force, or interference,” and that the two of them had slipped on a patch of ice.But an independent police oversight agency that reviewed from a nearby storefront determined Gaglio had used a chokehold, a move that New York Police Department rules ban except in “” because it can injure or even kill. The investigators also raised concerns that in describing the...WW…

President Donald Trump stopped by the Black Hills of South Dakota for a Fourth of July celebration at Mount Rushmore on Friday, but was met by protesters, who were initially relegated to a "free speech zone," but eventually blocked the road for about four hours in a demonstration of solidarity of Indigenous rights and the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement.Demonstrators created a blockade to the president's event by parking vans across the road and removing the tires, photographer Micah Garen of told BuzzFeed News. Protesters then formed a line as they faced off with local police,...…President Donald Trump stopped by the Black Hills of South Dakota for a Fourth of July celebration at Mount Rushmore on Friday, but was met by protesters, who were initially relegated to a "free speech zone," but eventually blocked the road for about four hours in a demonstration of solidarity of Indigenous rights and the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement.Demonstrators created a blockade to the president's event by parking vans across the road and removing the tires, photographer Micah Garen of told BuzzFeed News. Protesters then formed a line as they faced off with local police,...WW…

BuzzFeed News has reporters around the world bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, .After months of stress, Americans have been looking forward to the pre– pleasures of a (socially distanced) 4th of July. How about a cookout? It's a traditional, low-key summer celebration — but amid the nation's growing outbreak, even a simple home-cooked meal comes at an exorbitant price.A BuzzFeed News investigation reveals the extent to which the virus — and the nation’s inadequate response to it — has infected, sickened, and even killed...…BuzzFeed News has reporters around the world bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, .After months of stress, Americans have been looking forward to the pre– pleasures of a (socially distanced) 4th of July. How about a cookout? It's a traditional, low-key summer celebration — but amid the nation's growing outbreak, even a simple home-cooked meal comes at an exorbitant price.A BuzzFeed News investigation reveals the extent to which the virus — and the nation’s inadequate response to it — has infected, sickened, and even killed...WW…

A government watchdog agency responsible for overseeing the conditions that federal agencies hold immigrants in said it will not be visiting facilities because of the coronavirus, which observers worry will diminish independent inspections.In an email reviewed by BuzzFeed News, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) said for the time being, they will only visit facilities when they determine they can do so safely. In the meantime, inspectors will continue to conduct their work virtually.The DHS OIG didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.In...…A government watchdog agency responsible for overseeing the conditions that federal agencies hold immigrants in said it will not be visiting facilities because of the coronavirus, which observers worry will diminish independent inspections.In an email reviewed by BuzzFeed News, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) said for the time being, they will only visit facilities when they determine they can do so safely. In the meantime, inspectors will continue to conduct their work virtually.The DHS OIG didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.In...WW…

At least five members of the choir and orchestra at the Dallas megachurch visited by Vice President Mike Pence this weekend tested positive for in June, according to Facebook posts and internal church emails reviewed by BuzzFeed News.An additional orchestra member had symptoms several days after being exposed and was awaiting a test result in mid-June, according to a call for prayers sent to the church’s musicians.None of those six people were at the First Baptist church in Dallas during Pence’s hour-and-a-half-hour visit on Sunday, but it's unclear how many of the musicians who performed...…At least five members of the choir and orchestra at the Dallas megachurch visited by Vice President Mike Pence this weekend tested positive for in June, according to Facebook posts and internal church emails reviewed by BuzzFeed News.An additional orchestra member had symptoms several days after being exposed and was awaiting a test result in mid-June, according to a call for prayers sent to the church’s musicians.None of those six people were at the First Baptist church in Dallas during Pence’s hour-and-a-half-hour visit on Sunday, but it's unclear how many of the musicians who performed...WW…