Instagram's careless mistake
 THE BIG STORY
Republicans removed Liz Cheney from leadership for refusing to bow to Trump
Rep. Liz Cheney vigorously called out former president Donald Trump's lies about the 2020 election. She rejected Trump's conspiracy theories with a bluntness that is almost unheard of in the Republican conference.
Beyond that, Cheney was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol. She repeatedly and publicly blamed him for the riots. Now, she has paid the political price for that: on Wednesday, she was stripped of her House Republican leadership role.
The Wyoming Republican survived a February attempt to remove her from leadership, but in the weeks since, as she continued to speak out against Trump's lies about a stolen election, Republican leaders publicly soured on her.
The broader point: Cheney's ouster hints at something deeper — even out of office, Trump's control over the Republican Party is clear. As Paul McLeod reports, Republicans don't know how long that will last.  Rep. Liz Cheney speaks at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on May 12. Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
Ellen DeGeneres is ending her TV show after allegations of sexual misconduct and a toxic workplace
The daytime talk show is ending after it faltered in the ratings following allegations of a toxic workplace environment where top producers engaged in a wide range of sexual misconduct with lower-level employees.
DeGeneres announced that the upcoming 19th season will be its last. She told the Hollywood Reporter, "When you're a creative person, you constantly need to be challenged – and as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it's just not a challenge anymore."
But the decision to end her Emmy Award–winning show also comes after BuzzFeed News reports detailed a wide range of allegations from current and former employees, including that three of the show's executive producers oversaw a workplace culture where sexual harassment and inappropriate touching was pervasive.
Former Ellen Show employees said the host is finally feeling the consequences of years of behind-the-scenes misconduct. SNAPSHOTS
Kids ages 12-15 can now get a COVID-19 vaccine. A CDC vaccine advisory panel voted overwhelmingly to approve Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents ages 12 to 15. The news comes as COVID-19 is now one of the top 10 causes of death for teens in the US.
Ohio will offer $1 million weekly lotteries and full-ride scholarships for people who get a COVID-19 vaccine. The state will select one student and one adult at random for five consecutive weeks, starting later this month. Ohio is not the only one — businesses and state and local governments across the country are incentivizing people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by offering free beer, cash, and sports tickets.
Buckingham Palace told a "Trump Train" bus to stop using the Queen's image. An image of Queen Elizabeth II was doctored to show her wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat and a QAnon brooch. The bus was seen at a rally held by Reps. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene in Florida last week. CARELESS MISTAKES
Instagram labeled one of Islam's holiest mosques a terrorist organization
Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is the third-holiest site in Islam. Instagram removed posts and blocked hashtags about the mosque because its content moderation system mistakenly associated the site with a designation the company reserves for terrorist organizations.
The mistake is just the latest content moderation failure by Instagram and its parent company Facebook, which has faced accusations from users around the world that it has censored content about Israeli aggression toward Palestinians.
In effect, the error caused Instagram to remove or block posts with hashtags for the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The mistake was flagged internally by upset employees on Tuesday.
For critics and even some employees, the failure is evidence of the social media giant's lack of understanding and resources in the Middle East, and shows how even careless mistakes can have an outsize impact when its products are used by more than 3 billion people around the world.  BuzzFeed News; Ahmad Gharabli / AFP via Getty Images "WE'VE ALMOST AVOIDED THIS HISTORY" Barry Jenkins on avoiding the exploitation of black trauma in The Underground Railroad
This week, Amazon will release The Underground Railroad, a TV adaptation of Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer-prize winning novel. It's adapted by Barry Jenkins, the Oscar-winning director of Moonlight, in his first foray into TV.
We spoke with Jenkins about adapting the novel, and the sensitivities you have to take in order to not retraumatize your audience while guiding them through difficult stories. The conversation is well worth your time. Slow your pace down and check in with what you need, 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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