“Anybody in their right mind would be nervous”

THE BIG STORY

Back to school: Teachers are ready to quit rather than put their lives at risk

The Trump administration is eager to reopen schools, in part because parents can't return to work without childcare. But in many states, businesses reopened too early, and the health system is once again strained, making it difficult — if not impossible — to send kids back to school safely.

As infections, hospitalizations, and deaths surge, many teachers don't feel prepared to go back. A lack of national leadership on the schools issue has left states to give orders and school districts to make piecemeal plans that many teachers don't understand or trust.

Teachers are at a loss as to what to do. In a school setting, some teachers are worried that students won't wear masks, or bring them to school, or perhaps even be able to afford them.

The problem, one teacher told us, is leaders are "expecting teachers to be the glue that holds society together."

Olivier Douliery / Getty Images

STAYING ON TOP OF THIS

A judge gave ICE more time to comply with an order to release immigrant children

Immigration and Customs Enforcement had until today, Friday July 17, to release detained immigrant children due to their high risk of exposure to the coronavirus.

In a June 26 order, US District Judge Dolly Gee said she was very concerned about the potential of COVID-19 infection inside ICE's three family detention centers, saying there was "no more time for half measures."

Judge Gee amended her deadline, so the Trump administration now has until July 27 to comply with her order, which said children can be released with their parents or to a sponsor while their parents remain in ICE custody.

SNAPSHOTS

The Magic School Bus author Joanna Cole has died. Publishing company Scholastic announced Cole's death in a statement. Cole, a beloved author of children's books, died on Sunday of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. She was 75.

A new study found Republican politicians are more efficient at social media than Democrats are. New research from Pew showed that lawmakers'social media use has nearly doubled since 2016. On Facebook, members of Congress are posting 48% more content than they were four years ago.

Why BLM protesters have asked journalists not to show their faces. As demonstrations against police brutality continue, the norms of photojournalism are also being tested. Our photo director Kate Bubacz wrote about the challenges to the profession.

Gigi Hadid showed her baby bump for the first time on Instagram Live. The supermodel is around six months pregnant. She explained why she's been silent about her pregnancy: "...I'm pregnant through a pandemic. Obviously, my pregnancy is not the most important thing going on in the world."

"IT'S ALL FOR SHOW"

Former employees say Ellen's "Be Kind" mantra masks a toxic work culture.

"Be kind." That's the motto that Ellen DeGeneres has built her worldwide, multimillion-dollar brand on. Sometimes that involves lavish giveaways to audience members and fans, or big acts of charity. It all comes back to "be kind."

But behind the scenes, current and former employees on her leading daytime show say they faced racism, fear, and intimidation. We spoke to one current and 10 former employees on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, all of whom asked to remain anonymous, fearing retribution from the show, or others in the entertainment industry.

Most of the former employees blamed executive producers and other senior managers for the day-to-day toxicity, but one former employee said that, ultimately, it's Ellen's name on the show and "she really needs to take more responsibility" for the workplace environment.

In a joint statement to BuzzFeed News, executive producers Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly, and Andy Lassner said they take the stories of the employees "very seriously."

Ben Kothe / BuzzFeed News; Getty Images

CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE

Longreads to keep you company this weekend

Shane Dawson and Jenna Marbles represent the end of a YouTube era. Jaime Gordon came of age with the YouTube of the late aughts. Fast forward to 2020, YouTubers like Jenna Marbles and Shane Dawson are reckoning with their past. Gordon unpacks the evolution of the platform she grew up with.

I'm still a virgin in my thirties, not by choice. Giaae Kwon grew up in a strict Korean Presbyterian community, where chastity was a given. But the body-shaming that followed made sex an impossibility: "I'm in my mid-thirties, and I haven't had sex yet. I haven't even been kissed. I wonder if I should feel shame publicly admitting this, but the truth is I don't."

What being a woman with an average body size taught me. In a beautiful and vulnerable piece, Boshika Gupta chronicles her relationship with her body and how thinking about it has been a long thread throughout her life. From the piece: "When you're not plus-sized and not skinny, you're left scrambling for words when you apply to work on shoots with the big casting agencies, most of whom have models of a particular body type."

Wishing you clarity in telling your story today,

Elamin

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📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Elamin Abdelmahmoud and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.

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