More than 11,000 arrests so far
  THE BIG STORY
More than 11,000 arrests so far
The sweeping and often violent police response to the nationwide protest movement that has emerged over the last week has been well document in stories and videos from the protests. But how many people have been caught up in the mass arrests?
There's no official tracking of the number, so Scott Pham contacted 30 local police departments in protest hot spots nationwide — including Minneapolis, New York City, and Los Angeles — to find out how many people have been arrested. He confirmed at least 11,000 arrests just from the departments that responded, including 2,700 in Los Angeles and more than 1,700 each in New York City and Chicago. The full national total is likely much higher.
There are other elements to police and military response that are only now becoming clear. The Drug Enforcement Administration has been authorized to "conduct covert surveillance" and collect intelligence on the protesters, according to a document obtained by BuzzFeed News. And aircraft operated by local police, state and federal law enforcement, and the military have all been monitoring the protests from the sky — here's a map where you can look up who's watching the protests in your city.  Chandan Khanna / Getty Images
STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
Bye bye
King had a fan in President Trump, who called him a "special guy, a smart person, with really the right views on almost everything," during his presidential campaign. But in recent years he's been losing standing in Washington, even among fellow Republicans, as he frequently expressed concerns that America may eventually lose its white majority status.
"White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?" he told the New York Times in a 2019 interview. Soon after, House Republican minority leaders removed him from all of his committee assignments, including his prized seat on the House Judiciary Committee.
State Sen. Feenstra, who beat King in the primary, focused his campaign on King's lack of sway in Washington, rather than the racism. "President Trump needs Republicans in Congress who are effective," Feenstra said in his final campaign ad. "I'm the only candidate who can help President Trump."  George Frey / Getty Images HELP US KEEP QUALITY NEWS FREE FOR ALL
SNAPSHOTS
TikTok apologized to its black users yesterday after months of complaints that it censors their work. "We acknowledge and apologize to our Black creators and community who have felt unsafe, unsupported, or suppressed," the company said.
Six Atlanta police officers have been charged with assault and battery over a violent arrest of two black college students on Saturday. "The conduct involving this incident is not indicative of the way we treat people here," said Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard.
Videos showing pallets of bricks at protest locations have gone viral in the last week. Some believe the bricks were placed to incite violence; our investigation shows in many cases they were there long before the protests began.
President Trump's walk from the White House to St John's Episcopal Church, and the violent clearing of protests that preceded it, will be remembered as a central event of his presidency. Here's what it was like on the ground.  President Donald Trump walks back to the White House from St John's Episcopal Church. (Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images) IT'S NEWS O'CLOCK
HE'S STILL A GOOD BOY
Woof
A German shepherd has become the first recorded case of a dog being infected with the coronavirus in the US. "One of the dog's owners tested positive for COVID-19, and another showed symptoms consistent with the virus, prior to the dog," the Department of Agriculture said in a statement. "The dog is expected to make a full recovery." There's no evidence that the virus spreads from pets to humans.  This German shepherd does not have coronavirus and is only here for illustration purposes, but is definitely a good boy. (Mark Thiessen / AP) BASKIN VS EXOTIC
Owned
Carole Baskin, whose longtime feud with Joe Exotic was documented in Netflix's "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness," was awarded his zoo properties by an Oklahoma judge on Monday.
Baskin's Big Cat Rescue Corporation had already won a $1 million judgement in a long-running lawsuit against Joe Exotic's Greater Wynnewood Development Group, but the case had turned into a fight over how it should be paid.
The judge awarded Baskin all 16 acres of Joe Exotic's zoo, and she may even help find a new home for some of the animals there. The current operator of the zoo has 120 days to leave and remove the animals, the judge ordered, but Big Cat Rescue said it is "ready to assist" if the tenant needs help finding the animals a new home.
Victory comes to those who wait, Tom 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 Tom Gara and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here. BuzzFeed, Inc. |
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