A study supporting ivermectin as a COVID cure is under fire
THE BIG STORY
Ivermectin is anti-vaxxers' latest COVID drug of choice. A study promoting it has suspect data.  (BuzzFeed News/Getty Images/Todo Noticias via YouTube) Typically used to delouse people and deworm livestock, ivermectin has been touted by anti-vaxxers as a silver bullet against the pandemic. Politicians from Brazil to Malaysia are pushing it. Feed stores are sold out, and prices are soaring. In Facebook groups and subreddits, people are swapping dosing tips and saying they'd rather eat horse paste than get vaccinated.
But an influential study from Argentina — which has been used to argue that ivermectin prevents COVID 100% of the time — has some glaring gaps in its research.
The numbers, genders, and ages of the study's participants were inconsistent and mathematically improbable. A hospital named in the paper as taking part in the experiments said it has no record of it happening. Independent experts told BuzzFeed News that the study has so many red flags that it is, at best, unreliable.
STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
At least 45 people are dead after the remnants of Hurricane Ida slammed the East Coast. Fallout from Hurricane Ida pummeled the East Coast on Wednesday night with record-breaking rain and flash flooding. At least 45 people were killed across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Maryland.
In Louisiana, hundreds of thousands of homes remain without power, and authorities stated it may be weeks before electrical towers and grids are repaired.
The Northeast US has been especially affected by climate change-driven rainfall intensity in recent years. Warmer air can hold more water vapor, which eventually translates to heavier downpours. While this week's storm broke rainfall records, environmental experts warn that climate change will make severe weather incidents like Ida increasingly common.
"We need to face these in advance and be prepared," said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. "Because of climate change, unfortunately, this is something we're going to have to deal with with great regularity." SNAPSHOTS
Most of Texas's congressional Republicans are silent on their state's new abortion law. BuzzFeed News contacted all of the Texas Republicans in the House of Representatives and both of the state's senators. Out of a total of 25 officials, just four responded, and only one referred to the case. A spokesperson for Sen. Ted Cruz said that he was "proud" that Texas was "leading the charge to defend life."
A former prosecutor is accused of obstructing the investigation into the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. According to the indictment revealed Thursday, Jackie Johnson failed to perform her duties as prosecutor by "showing favor and affection" to one of the men involved in Arbery's fatal shooting.
THE SCOTUS SHADOW DOCKET
Here's how the Supreme Court can rule in a major abortion case in the dead of night. The Supreme Court's handling of the Texas abortion law spurred the latest round of scrutiny over how the justices make consequential decisions via the "shadow docket."
The term refers to emergency petitions that ask for a swift ruling on time-sensitive issues. In this process, a case doesn't go through the usual monthslong process involving rounds of briefing, public argument, and, ultimately, an opinion that explains the court's reasoning and sets precedent for the rest of the country.
The shadow docket didn't start under the Trump administration, although legal scholars have noted that it's gained more traction since the former president entered office. In the Texas case, the dissenting justices wrote that their colleagues had turned the purpose of the shadow docket on its head.
"Without full briefing or argument, and after less than 72 hours' thought, this Court greenlights the operation of Texas's patently unconstitutional law banning most abortions," wrote Justice Elena Kagan. "THE HOPE THAT SOMETHING BETTER LIES AHEAD"
Volunteers are committed to searching for lost immigrants in the desert.  From left to right: Ernesto Mejia and Margarito Cruz, two members of Aguilas del Desierto (Roberto "Bear" Guerra for BuzzFeed News) During the week, Aguilas del Desierto volunteers work on farms, as teacher's aides, and as medical assistants. But on certain weekends, they search for missing migrants along the US–Mexico border.
"Most of the people in the group are immigrants who went through the same paths as the people we search for," said member Christina Otero. "We know how they suffer."
Aguilas del Desierto receives up to 50 calls a day from families whose loved ones have gone missing in the desert, often abandoned by their smuggler. In 2020, the organization reported discovering the remains of 28 people, more than any previous year, and found 45 people alive.
Francisco Gonzalez, a member of the group, said his friends and family will call him crazy for going on searches. But when he doesn't go, he stays up at night wondering if he was meant to find a missing person.
"For migrants, the desert can be very sad because of what we suffer," Gonzalez said. "But it's also something beautiful because you're crossing with nothing but the clothes on your back and the hope that something better lies ahead." LONG READS AND A LONGER WEEKEND
Start your weekend with some of this week's best from BuzzFeed News: The best books coming out this fall. Read these exciting and fresh stories while you're drinking a warm mug of tea, basking in autumn's changing leaves, staving off seasonal depression, and enjoying other seasonal activities.
A cautionary tale for influencers to always sign a contract. Chloe Ting is a fitness guru. She posts ab workouts for a living. And even she is feeling the effect of the internet spiraling out of control.
He's his son, he's straight, and he's from Kansas. The Other Two has been heralded as "one of the best shows about gay men on TV right now." Reporter David Mack spoke with co-creator Chris Kelly and actor Noam Ash about why it resonates with so many viewers right now. Needing rest isn't weakness — it's what makes you human, Alexa 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Alexa Lee and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
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