Abusing a pandemic safety feature
 THE BIG STORY
A pandemic safety feature on Uber and Lyft is getting abused to scam drivers and discriminate against passengers
Right now, Both Uber and Lyft continue to require masks, regardless of vaccination status, and allow both passengers and drivers to report each other if one of them does not comply.
This feature is intended — and presumably most often used — to simply report those who refuse to wear masks. However, some people are abusing it, making false claims of masklessness, both to discriminate against passengers and cheat drivers out of fares.
People of color, as well as LGBTQ individuals and passengers with disabilities, have long faced issues of discrimination when it comes to hailing a taxi. Ride-hailing apps were once seen as a possible solution to this — but research has shown discrimination is still a rampant problem.
The ability to report compliance with mask rules is proving to be have other uses: Black and LGBTQ passengers told BuzzFeed News they're being refused rides due to false claims they're not wearing masks.
In addition to that, masked drivers are also being accused of not wearing masks — and in some cases, they're being booted off the app for it.  Ben Stansall / AFP via Getty Images STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
The FBI allegedly used 12 informants in the Michigan kidnapping case
You probably remember this story. Last October, the alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made international headlines, when the Department of Justice announced it had charged six men in a kidnapping conspiracy.
According to the Justice Department, the men met and trained over a six-month period in 2020, during which time they developed a plan to kidnap Whitmer from her second home. No plan was ever executed before authorities made arrests.
Well, according to a new court filing made by one of the five defendants in the federal case, the government employed at least a dozen confidential informants to infiltrate groups of armed extremists.
The filing asked that prosecutors be ordered to share more information about those informants. SNAPSHOTS
Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx warned top officials about the "dangers" of Scott Atlas last summer. Atlas is a senior fellow at Stanford University's conservative Hoover Institution who routinely downplayed the pandemic on Fox News. "I am more convinced than ever of the dangers of Dr. Atlas' views on the pandemic," Birx wrote to Fauci shortly after Atlas became a top Trump adviser.
Drake Bell was sentenced to two years of probation for child endangerment. The 35-year-old Nickelodeon star was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to attempted endangerment of a child, a felony. An investigation found that a 15-year-old girl and Bell had a relationship for years and that she attended his concert in December 2017.
Addison Rae joked that she was hired then fired from a UFC correspondent job after her "obnoxious" tweet about her lack of journalism experience sparked a huge backlash. The controversy came after Addison shared photos of her holding a microphone in front of a UFC banner, and added the tongue-in-cheek caption, "I studied broadcast journalism in college for 3 whole months to prepare for this." NOT A CUTE LOOK
A TikToker called out the VP of a "women-led" boutique for accidentally sending her an email where he called her "not that cute"
Gracie Lorincz from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan applied for a job at a local boutique. Then she was surprised to receive an email about her, accidentally sent to her. In an email obviously not intended for Lorincz, the VP of Ava Lane Boutique called her "not that cute."
Lorincz posted a screenshot of the email on TikTok, where it has gone viral and inspired mobs of people in support of Lorincz to downrate and troll the store's mobile app reviews, calling the clothing sold at the boutique "not that cute."
A Detroit newspaper reported that Chuck DeGrendel, the VP in question, appeared in a Facebook Live stream on Thursday to respond to the TikTok. He explained that the email about Lorincz was intended for his wife Laura, who founded the boutique, and that his phone has not stopped ringing since, but that he "deserve[s] that blowback."
According to Ava Lane's website, Laura DeGrendel founded the boutique "to give back and empower other women wherever possible." NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH Cardi B threw her daughter the most extra fairy tale-themed birthday party and the extravagance has completely divided people
The rapper threw a wild birthday bash to celebrate her daughter turning 3, complete with a crab leg tower and a Cinderella-style horse and carriage, as well as gifts, including a $250,000 watch.
As per the universal maxim "haters gonna hate," haters indeed did do as promised. Folks are coming after Cardi for the lavish nature of the birthday party. Me, personally, I am having a hard time directing one inch of criticism towards the extravagance. At the tail end of a global pandemic, I too would like a Cinderella-style horse and carriage for my next birthday. Be intentional about what you allow in to your day today, 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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