The royal family's “total neglect”
 THE BIG STORY
The Fall Guy
Christopher Ahn is no mercenary or mastermind. By the time he landed in Madrid for his role in a fake kidnapping, the plan was already set. He just had to do his part.
Ahn was a volunteer with Cheollima Civil Defense, a secretive group set up to help defectors from North Korea execute their escape. Ahn had previously pitched in on tamer missions by soothing the fears of would-be defectors worried about what might happen if they broke free.
In Madrid, the plan was to make it look like the diplomat they were grabbing was being kidnapped rather than defecting — a fiction that would spare his relatives back home from brutal retribution. But in the embassy's basement, the diplomat changed his mind, and Ahn and company abandoned the mission.
Back home in Los Angeles, Ahn was surprised when he was arrested. Spanish authorities were treating the incident like a real kidnapping, and had targeted Ahn as a key conspirator. A federal judge in Los Angeles will soon rule whether Ahn should be extradited to Madrid, where he faces up to 24 years in prison.
 Christopher Ahn poses for a portrait at Lafayette Park in Los Angeles. Philip Cheung for BuzzFeed News STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
Biden will allow Haitian immigrants in the US to obtain temporary protected status
The quick background to this: The Obama administration provided temporary protected status for Haitians who had been in the country continuously since 2010, when a massive earthquake killed more than 200,000 people in Haiti, according to estimates.
The Trump administration sought to undo those protections, but those plans were scuttled due to federal court decisions. But here's the thing: those protections were set to expire October 2021.
Now, the Biden administration will grant more than 100,000 Haitians in the US the opportunity to gain temporary protected status, shielding them from deportation and allowing them to obtain work permits.
The decision, which immigrant advocates have been pushing for several months, comes while reports say increased gang violence and kidnappings have roiled parts of Haiti. SNAPSHOTS
Police have arrested a suspect in an alleged antisemitic hate crime attack in Los Angeles. Los Angeles police arrested a man late Friday as part of a possible hate crime investigation into an alleged antisemitic attack on a group of diners. Police said they are searching for more suspects connected to the incident.
In college, she was a pro-Palestinian activist. The AP just fired her after a conservative "witch hunt." Emily Wilder spoke with BuzzFeed News after she was fired by the Associated Press when conservatives shared her old social media posts and noted her pro-Palestinian college activism.
Prince Harry accused the royal family of "total silence" and "total neglect" when he and Meghan asked for help. In an interview for the docuseries The Me You Can't See, Harry told Oprah that his family refused to help with the barrage of media and social media abuse directed at his wife, Meghan Markle. He also said he has no regrets about leaving life as a working royal.
Online store Shein apologized for selling a phone case depicting a handcuffed Black person outlined in chalk. The retailer had been criticized in the past for selling a "swastika pendant" and Muslim prayer mats as decorative rugs.
28 new books to add to your summer reading list ASAP. A witch trial novel from Rivka Galchen, an innovative memoir from Akwaeke Emezi, an espionage thriller from Kathy Wang, and more — each one perfect for the beach. ALL HANDS ON DECK
The White House is partnering with dating apps to get horny people vaccinated
If you won't get the vaccine for health, do it for horniness. At least that's the approach the White House is taking when partnering with dating apps.
Thanks to this push, you can get all kinds of perks on dating apps just for being vaccinated. Vaccinated users on Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, and Badoo will have access to some premium features for free.
OkCupid, Chispa, BLK, and Match are giving out a free "Boost" to those who've been vaccinated so that their profiles are more likely to be seen first. Meanwhile, Plenty of Fish is also offering free credits to vaccinated members for its livestreaming feature.
"People who display their vaccination status are 14% more likely to get a match," White House COVID-19 adviser Andy Slavitt said at a press conference. "We have finally found the one thing that makes us all more attractive." HOW DID WE GET HERE The woman who looked lost at a leather event doesn't mind being a meme
Amruta Godbole looked lost, standing in a sea of shirtless, leather harness-clad men towering over her. A friend decided to snap a photo of her in the funny situation — and a meme was instantly born.
We talked to Godbole about being the subject of the meme. She told us she felt like a "fish out of water" while at a San Francisco street fair a few years ago.
Godbole, who is a corporate lawyer, said she used to get DMs about the photo from friends, and recently she's been recognized in the meme by coworkers and people she hasn't spoken to since high school.
I mean, the photo is incredible:  Be still long enough to tune in to your inner voice, 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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