buzzfeed--2020-09-19--“I Have Blood On My Hands”: A Whistleblower Says Facebook Ignored Global Political Manipulation

A 6,600-word internal memo from a fired Facebook data scientist details how the social network knew about specific examples of global political manipulation — and failed to act .
Facebook ignored or was slow to act on evidence that fake accounts on its platform have been undermining elections and political affairs around the world , according to an explosive memo sent by a recently fired Facebook employee and obtained by BuzzFeed News .
The 6,600-word memo , written by former Facebook data scientist Sophie Zhang , is filled with concrete examples of heads of government and political parties in Azerbaijan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves to sway public opinion .
In countries including India , Ukraine , Spain , Brazil , Bolivia , and Ecuador , she found evidence of coordinated campaigns of varying sizes to boost or hinder political candidates or outcomes , though she did not always conclude who was behind them .
“ In the three years I ’ ve spent at Facebook , I ’ ve found multiple blatant attempts by foreign national governments to abuse our platform on vast scales to mislead their own citizenry , and caused international news on multiple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declined to talk to BuzzFeed News .
Her LinkedIn profile said she “ worked as the data scientist for the Facebook Site Integrity fake engagement team ” and dealt with “ bots influencing elections and the like.
” “ I have personally made decisions that affected national presidents without oversight , and taken action to enforce against so many prominent politicians globally that I ’ ve lost count , ” she wrote .
The memo is a damning account of Facebook ’ s failures .
It ’ s the story of Facebook abdicating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that could affect the political fate of nations outside the United States or Western Europe .
It 's also the story of a junior employee wielding extraordinary moderation powers that affected millions of people without any real institutional support , and the personal torment that followed .
“ I know that I have blood on my hands by now , ” Zhang wrote .
These are some of the biggest revelations in Zhang ’ s memo : • It took Facebook ’ s leaders nine months to act on a coordinated campaign “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boost President Juan Orlando Hernandez of Honduras on a massive scale to mislead the Honduran people.
” Two weeks after Facebook took action against the perpetrators in July , they returned , leading to a game of “ whack-a-mole ” between Zhang and the operatives behind the fake accounts , which are still active .
• In Azerbaijan , Zhang discovered the ruling political party “ utilized thousands of inauthentic assets ... to harass the opposition en masse.
” Facebook began looking into the issue a year after Zhang reported it .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her colleagues removed “ 10.5 million fake reactions and fans from high-profile politicians in Brazil and the US in the 2018 elections.
” • In February 2019 , a NATO researcher informed Facebook that `` he ’ d obtained Russian inauthentic activity on a high-profile U.S. political figure that we didn ’ t catch . ''
Zhang removed the activity , “ dousing the immediate fire , ” she wrote .
• In Ukraine , Zhang “ found inauthentic scripted activity ” supporting both former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko , a pro–European Union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as Volodymyr Groysman , a former prime minister and ally of former president Petro Poroshenko .
“ Volodymyr Zelensky and his faction was the only major group not affected , ” Zhang said of the current Ukrainian president .
• Zhang discovered inauthentic activity — a Facebook term for engagement from bot accounts and coordinated manual accounts— in Bolivia and Ecuador but chose “ not to prioritize it , ” due to her workload .
The amount of power she had as a mid-level employee to make decisions about a country ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her health .
• After becoming aware of coordinated manipulation on the Spanish Health Ministry ’ s Facebook page during the COVID-19 pandemic , Zhang helped find and remove 672,000 fake accounts “ acting on similar targets globally ” including in the US .
• In India , she worked to remove “ a politically-sophisticated network of more than a thousand actors working to influence '' the local elections taking place in Delhi in February .
Facebook never publicly disclosed this network or that it had taken it down .
“ We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leading experts , to stop bad actors from abusing our systems , resulting in the removal of more than 100 networks for coordinated inauthentic behavior , '' Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois said in a statement .
`` It ’ s highly involved work that these teams do as their full-time remit .
Working against coordinated inauthentic behavior is our priority , but we ’ re also addressing the problems of spam and fake engagement .
We investigate each issue carefully , including those that Ms. Zhang raises , before we take action or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a company . ''
BuzzFeed News is not publishing Zhang ’ s full memo because it contains personal information .
This story includes full excerpts when possible to provide appropriate context .
In her post , Zhang said she did not want it to go public for fear of disrupting Facebook ’ s efforts to prevent problems around the upcoming 2020 US presidential election , and due to concerns about her own safety .
BuzzFeed News is publishing parts of her memo that are clearly in the public interest .
Do you work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We 'd love to hear from you .
Reach out at ryan.mac @ buzzfeed.com , craig.silverman @ buzzfeed.com , pranav.dixit @ buzzfeed.com , or via one of our tip line channels .
“ I consider myself to have been put in an impossible spot – caught between my loyalties to the company and my loyalties to the world as a whole , ” she said .
“ The last thing I want to do is distract from our efforts for the upcoming U.S. elections , yet I know this post will likely do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down a $ 64,000 severance package from the company to avoid signing a nondisparagement agreement .
Doing so allowed her to speak out internally , and she used that freedom to reckon with the power that she had to police political speech .
“ There was so much violating behavior worldwide that it was left to my personal assessment of which cases to further investigate , to file tasks , and escalate for prioritization afterwards , ” she wrote .
That power contrasted with what she said seemed to be a lack of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ processes in smaller countries .
Facebook , Zhang said , prioritized regions including the US and Western Europe , and often only acted when she repeatedly pressed the issue publicly in comments on Workplace , the company ’ s internal , employee-only message board .
“ With no oversight whatsoever , I was left in a situation where I was trusted with immense influence in my spare time , ” she wrote .
“ A manager on Strategic Response mused to myself that most of the world outside the West was effectively the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dictator – he meant the statement as a compliment , but it illustrated the immense pressures upon me.
” A former Facebook engineer who knew her told BuzzFeed News that Zhang was skilled at discovering fake account networks on the platform .
“ She 's the only person in this entire field at Facebook that I ever trusted to be earnest about this work , '' said the engineer , who had seen a copy of Zhang ’ s post and asked not to be named because they no longer work at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I learned from that post was shocking even to me as someone who 's often been disappointed at how the company treats its best people , '' they said .
Zhang ’ s memo said the lack of institutional support and heavy stakes left her unable to sleep .
She often felt responsible when civil unrest took hold in places she didn ’ t prioritize for investigation and action .
“ I have made countless decisions in this vein – from Iraq to Indonesia , from Italy to El Salvador , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was likely small in each case , but the world is a vast place.
” Still , she did not believe that the failures she observed during her two and a half years at the company were the result of bad intent by Facebook ’ s employees or leadership .
It was a lack of resources , Zhang wrote , and the company ’ s tendency to focus on global activity that posed public relations risks , as opposed to electoral or civic harm .
“ Facebook projects an image of strength and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lend itself to such theories , but the reality is that many of our actions are slapdash and haphazard accidents , ” she wrote .
Zhang wrote that she was just six months into the job when she found coordinated inauthentic behavior — Facebook ’ s internal term for the use of multiple fake accounts to boost engagement or spread content — benefiting Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández .
The connection to the Honduran leader was made , Zhang said , because an administrator for the president ’ s Facebook page had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assets without any obfuscation whatsoever in a show of extreme chutzpah.
” The data scientist said she reported the operation , which involved thousands of fake accounts , to Facebook ’ s threat intelligence and policy review teams , both of which took months to act .
“ Local policy teams confirmed that President JOH ’ s marketing team had openly admitted to organizing the activity on his behalf , ” she wrote .
“ Yet despite the blatantly violating nature of this activity , it took me almost a year to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced by Facebook in July 2019 , but proved futile .
Soon , the operation was soon back up and running , a fact Facebook has never disclosed .
“ They had returned within two weeks of our takedown and were back in a similar volume of users , ” Zhang wrote , adding that she did a final sweep for the fake accounts on her last day at Facebook .
“ A year after our takedown , the activity is still live and well.
” In Azerbaijan , she found a large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opponents of President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and his ruling New Azerbaijan Party , which uses the acronym YAP .
Facebook still has not disclosed the influence campaign , according to Zhang .
The operation detailed in the memo is reminiscent of those of Russia ’ s Internet Research Agency , a private troll farm that tried to influence the 2016 US elections , because it involved “ dedicated employees who worked 9-6 Monday-Friday work weeks to create millions of comments ” targeting members of the opposition and media reports seen as negative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for district-level divisions of the ruling YAP political party directly controlled numerous of these fake assets without any obfuscation whatsoever in another display of arrogance , ” she wrote .
“ Perhaps they thought they were clever ; the truth was , we simply didn ’ t care enough to stop them.
” Katy Pearce , an associate professor at the University of Washington who studies social media and communication technology in Azerbaijan , told BuzzFeed News that fake Facebook accounts have been used to undermine the opposition and independent media in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the big tools of authoritarian regimes is to humiliate the opposition in the mind of the public so that they 're not viewed as a credible or legitimate alternative , ” she told BuzzFeed News .
“ There 's a chilling effect .
Why would I post something if I know that I 'm going to deal with thousands or hundreds of these comments , that I 'm going to be targeted ?
” Pearce said Zhang ’ s comment in the memo that Facebook “ didn ’ t care enough to stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with her experience .
“ They have bigger fish to fry , ” she said .
A person who managed social media accounts for news organizations in Azerbaijan told BuzzFeed News that their pages were inundated with inauthentic Facebook comments .
“ We used to delete and ban them because we didn ’ t want people who came to our page to be discouraged and not react or comment , ” said the person , who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak for their employer .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees , it ’ s easy for them to open new accounts.
” They said Facebook has at times made things worse by removing the accounts or pages of human rights activists and other people after trolls report them .
“ We tried to tell Facebook that this is a real person who does important work , ” but it took weeks for the page to be restored .
Zhang wrote that a Facebook investigation into fake accounts and trolling in Azerbaijan is now underway , more than a year after she first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of her departure , she called it her “ greatest unfinished business ” to stop the fake behavior in the country .
“ Many others would think nothing of myself devoting this attention to the United States , but are shocked to see myself fighting for these small countries , ” she wrote .
“ To put it simply , my methodologies were systematic globally , and I fought for Honduras and Azerbaijan because that was where I saw the most ongoing harm.
” “ I have blood on my hands ” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about a large-scale fake account network used to amplify and manipulate information about COVID-19 , as well as a political influence operation that used fake accounts to influence 2018 elections in the US and Brazil .
Some of these details were not previously disclosed by Facebook , suggesting the company ’ s regular takedown announcements remain selective and incomplete .
Zhang said Facebook removed 672,000 “ low-quality fake accounts ” after press reports in April that some of the accounts had been engaging with COVID-19 content on the Spanish Health Ministry ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ network also engaged with content on US pages .
Facebook did not disclose how many accounts it removed , or that those accounts engaged with content in other countries , including the US .
Zhang also shared new details about the scale of inauthentic activity during the 2018 midterm elections in the US , and from Brazilian politicians that same year .
“ We ended up removing 10.5 million fake reactions and fans from high-profile politicians in Brazil and the U.S. in the 2018 elections – major politicians of all persuasions in Brazil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the United States , ” she wrote .
A September 2018 briefing about Facebook ’ s election work in the US and Brazil disclosed that it had acted against a network in Brazil that used “ fake accounts to sow division and share disinformation , ” as well as a set of groups , pages , and accounts that were “ falsely amplifying engagement for financial gain.
” It did not fully mention Zhang 's findings .
The scale of this activity — 672,000 fake accounts in one network , 10.5 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indicates active fake accounts are a global problem , and are used to manipulate elections and public debate around the world .
As one of the few people looking for and identifying fake accounts impacting civic activity outside of “ priority ” regions , Zhang struggled with the power she had been handed .
“ We focus upon harm and priority regions like the United States and Western Europe , ” Zhang wrote , adding that “ it became impossible to read the news and monitor world events without feeling the weight of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zhang said she found “ inauthentic activity supporting the opposition presidential candidate in 2019 ” and chose not to prioritize it .
Months later , Bolivian politics fell into turmoil , leading to the resignation of President Evo Morales and “ mass protests leading to dozens of deaths.
” The same happened in Ecuador , according to Zhang , who “ found inauthentic activity supporting the ruling government… and made the decision not to prioritize it.
” The former Facebook employee then wondered how her decision led to downstream effects on how Ecuador @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — which has devastated the country — and if that would have been different if she 'd acted .
“ I have made countless decisions in this vein – from Iraq to Indonesia , from Italy to El Salvador .
Individually , the impact was likely small in each case , but the world is a vast place .
Although I made the best decision I could based on the knowledge available at the time , ultimately I was the one who made the decision not to push more or prioritize further in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have blood on my hands by now.
” Zhang also uncovered issues in India , Facebook ’ s largest market , in the lead up to the local Delhi elections in February 2020 .
“ I worked through sickness to take down a politically-sophisticated network of more than a thousand actors working to influence the election , ” she wrote .
Last month , Facebook ’ s Indian operation came under scrutiny after reports in the Wall Street Journal revealed a top policy executive in the country had stopped local staffers from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policies to ruling party politicians who posted anti-Muslim hate speech .
In her “ spare time ” in 2019 , Zhang took on tasks usually reserved for product managers and investigators , searching out countries including Ukraine , Turkey , India , Indonesia , the Philippines , Australia , the United Kingdom , Taiwan , “ and many many more.
” Zhang said she found and took down “ inauthentic scripted activity ” in Ukraine that supported Yulia Tymoshenko , a complicated political figure who has been involved in controversial gas deals with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in her later career , as well as for former prime minister Volodymyr Groysman , an ally of former president Petro Poroshenko .
“ Volodymyr Zelensky and his faction was the only major group not affected , ” she wrote .
In another part of her memo , Zhang said she wanted to push back on the idea that Facebook was run by malicious people hoping to achieve a particular outcome .
That was not the case , she wrote , attributing actions to “ slapdash and haphazard accidents.
” “ Last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ukraine whistleblower , we forgot to cover hashtags until I stepped in , ” she wrote .
But she also remarked on Facebook ’ s habit of prioritizing public relations over real-world problems .
“ It ’ s an open secret within the civic integrity space that Facebook ’ s short-term decisions are largely motivated by PR and the potential for negative attention , ” she wrote , noting that she was told directly at a 2020 summit that anything published in the New York Times or Washington Post would obtain elevated priority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve seen priorities of escalations shoot up when others start threatening to go to the press , and why I was informed by a leader in my organization that my civic work was not impactful under the rationale that if the problems were meaningful they would have attracted attention , became a press fire , and convinced the company to devote more attention to the space.
” Zhang mentioned one example in February 2019 , when a NATO strategic communications researcher reached out to Facebook , alerting the company that he 'd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a high-profile U.S. political figure that we didn ’ t catch.
” That researcher said they were planning on briefing Congress the next day .
“ I quickly investigated the case , determined what was going on , and removed the activity , dousing the immediate fire , ” Zhang wrote .
“ Perhaps motivated by the experience , the same researcher tried the same experiment within a month or two , waiting half a year afterwards before sending the report to the press and finally causing the PR fire.
” Beyond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zhang provided insight into the inner workings at Facebook .
She criticized her team ’ s focus on issues related to “ 99 % of activity that ’ s essentially spam.
” “ Overall , the focus of my organization – and most of Facebook – was on large-scale problems , an approach which fixated us on spam , ” she said .
“ The civic aspect was discounted because of its small volume , its disproportionate impact ignored.
” Zhang outlined the political processes within Facebook itself .
She said the best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her work was not to go through the proper reporting channels , but to post about the issues on Facebook ’ s internal employee message board to build pressure .
“ In the office , I realized that my viewpoints weren ’ t respected unless I acted like an arrogant asshole , ” Zhang said .
When she asked the company to do more in terms of finding and stopping malicious activity related to elections and political activity , she said she was told that “ human resources are limited.
” And when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civic work , “ I was told that Facebook would no longer have further need for my services if I refused.
” Zhang was fired this month and posted her memo on her last day , even after offering to stay on through the election as an unpaid volunteer .
In her goodbye , she encouraged her colleagues to remain at Facebook and to fix the company from within .
“ But you don ’ t – and shouldn ’ t – need to do it alone , ” she wrote .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ values to work on it together .
Facebook is too big of a project for any one person to fix.
” ●

“Multiple official accounts for district-level divisions of the ruling YAP political party directly controlled numerous of these fake assets without any obfuscation whatsoever in another display of arrogance,” she wrote. “Perhaps they thought they were clever; the truth was, we simply didn’t care enough to stop them.”
Katy Pearce, an associate professor at the University of Washington who studies social media and communication technology in Azerbaijan, told BuzzFeed News that fake Facebook accounts have been used to undermine the opposition and independent media in the country for years.
“One of the big tools of authoritarian regimes is to humiliate the opposition in the mind of the public so that they're not viewed as a credible or legitimate alternative,” she told BuzzFeed News. “There's a chilling effect. Why would I post something if I know that I'm going to deal with thousands or hundreds of these comments, that I'm going to be targeted?”
Pearce said Zhang’s comment in the memo that Facebook “didn’t care enough to stop” the fake accounts and trolling aligns with her experience. “They have bigger fish to fry,” she said.
A person who managed social media accounts for news organizations in Azerbaijan told BuzzFeed News that their pages were inundated with inauthentic Facebook comments.
“We used to delete and ban them because we didn’t want people who came to our page to be discouraged and not react or comment,” said the person, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak for their employer. “But since [the trolls] are employees, it’s easy for them to open new accounts.”
They said Facebook has at times made things worse by removing the accounts or pages of human rights activists and other people after trolls report them. “We tried to tell Facebook that this is a real person who does important work,” but it took weeks for the page to be restored.
Zhang wrote that a Facebook investigation into fake accounts and trolling in Azerbaijan is now underway, more than a year after she first reported the issue. On the day of her departure, she called it her “greatest unfinished business” to stop the fake behavior in the country.
“Many others would think nothing of myself devoting this attention to the United States, but are shocked to see myself fighting for these small countries,” she wrote. “To put it simply, my methodologies were systematic globally, and I fought for Honduras and Azerbaijan because that was where I saw the most ongoing harm.”
“I have blood on my hands”
In other examples, Zhang revealed new information about a large-scale fake account network used to amplify and manipulate information about COVID-19, as well as a political influence operation that used fake accounts to influence 2018 elections in the US and Brazil. Some of these details were not previously disclosed by Facebook, suggesting the company’s regular takedown announcements remain selective and incomplete.
Zhang said Facebook removed 672,000 “low-quality fake accounts” after press reports in April that some of the accounts had been engaging with COVID-19 content on the Spanish Health Ministry’s page. She said accounts in that network also engaged with content on US pages. Facebook did not disclose how many accounts it removed, or that those accounts engaged with content in other countries, including the US.
Zhang also shared new details about the scale of inauthentic activity during the 2018 midterm elections in the US, and from Brazilian politicians that same year. “We ended up removing 10.5 million fake reactions and fans from high-profile politicians in Brazil and the U.S. in the 2018 elections – major politicians of all persuasions in Brazil, and a number of lower-level politicians in the United States,” she wrote.
A September 2018 briefing about Facebook’s election work in the US and Brazil disclosed that it had acted against a network in Brazil that used “fake accounts to sow division and share disinformation,” as well as a set of groups, pages, and accounts that were “falsely amplifying engagement for financial gain.” It did not fully mention Zhang's findings.
The scale of this activity — 672,000 fake accounts in one network, 10.5 million fake engagement and fans in others — indicates active fake accounts are a global problem, and are used to manipulate elections and public debate around the world.
As one of the few people looking for and identifying fake accounts impacting civic activity outside of “priority” regions, Zhang struggled with the power she had been handed.
“We focus upon harm and priority regions like the United States and Western Europe,” Zhang wrote, adding that “it became impossible to read the news and monitor world events without feeling the weight of my own responsibility.”
In Bolivia, Zhang said she found “inauthentic activity supporting the opposition presidential candidate in 2019” and chose not to prioritize it. Months later, Bolivian politics fell into turmoil, leading to the resignation of President Evo Morales and “mass protests leading to dozens of deaths.”


buzzfeed--2020-09-19--17 Easy Ways To Keep The Spark In Your Long-Distance Relationship

Trust and honesty are essential in every relationship no matter if you 're long distance or not .
Being apart @ @ @ @ @ insecurities , but follow your heart and keep the lines of communication open .
While @ @ @ @ @ guaranteed to last , you may end up surprising yourself that the miles were more @ @ @ @

Anyone who has ever been in a long-distance relationship before knows it comes with its own set of unique difficulties and obstacles. While most couples who have the luxury of seeing each other throughout the week, that's not always the case for others.


buzzfeed--2020-09-19--Susan Collins Is The First Republican To Say Whoever Wins The Election Should Fill Ginsburg’s Seat

“ Given the proximity of the presidential election , however , I do not believe that the Senate should vote on the nominee prior to the election , ” she said .
Collins did say that President Donald Trump “ has the constitutional authority ” to nominate a candidate of his choice in the meantime and she said she supports the Senate Judiciary Committee , of which she is a member , beginning the process of vetting that nominee .
Collins , a Maine Republican who is in a tight reelection race , said in a statement that whoever wins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to replace Ginsburg , “ in fairness to the American people.
” WASHINGTON — Sen. Susan Collins said Saturday she will not vote to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court until after Election Day .
Republicans will face a complicated decision in the coming weeks over whether to potentially rush a confirmation before the election , or whether to vote on a new Supreme Court nominee during their lame-duck session , which runs from the election through January , when newly elected senators are seated , and perhaps a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes in the Senate ; four would need to vote against confirmation for it to fail if all Democrats vote together .
If the Senate ties on a nominee , Vice President Mike Pence would need to break it .
Collins is the first Republican to say that they would oppose confirming a Trump nominee to the Supreme Court before the election since Ginsburg ’ s death was announced on Friday .
But other Republican senators have said previously that the Senate should wait , most prominently Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski .
Murkowski @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announcement of Ginsburg ’ s death that she would not vote for a new Supreme Court justice before the election , saying , “ Fair is fair.
” On Aug. 3 , the senator from Alaska said it would be a “ double standard ” to fill a vacancy before the November election adding that she “ would not support it.
” Murkowski is not up for reelection in 2020 , but in 2018 she was the only Republican senator to oppose Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh ’ s Senate confirmation .
Sen. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s death that he would not support confirming a justice prior to the election .
Grassley told NBC News in August that “ he couldn ’ t move forward with it , ” saying it would backtrack his 2016 position of blocking then-president Barack Obama ’ s nominee , Merrick Garland .
Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner , who is also locked in a complicated reelection campaign , has not yet commented on the timing of a vote .
Other Republicans in tight campaigns , such as Arizona ’ s Martha McSally and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have said they support moving forward with a nomination .
Trump announced 20 new potential Supreme Court picks just last week , including three Republican colleagues of Collins ’ — Sens .
Tom Cotton , Ted Cruz , and Josh Hawley .
The latter , Hawley , said he would not accept the nomination .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed Friday night he would move forward with a vote on whoever Trump nominates , despite famously staving off the Garland nomination in 2016 .

Republicans will face a complicated decision in the coming weeks over whether to potentially rush a confirmation before the election, or whether to vote on a new Supreme Court nominee during their lame-duck session, which runs from the election through January, when newly elected senators are seated, and perhaps a new president takes office.
Republicans have 53 votes in the Senate; four would need to vote against confirmation for it to fail if all Democrats vote together. If the Senate ties on a nominee, Vice President Mike Pence would need to break it.
Collins is the first Republican to say that they would oppose confirming a Trump nominee to the Supreme Court before the election since Ginsburg’s death was announced on Friday. But other Republican senators have said previously that the Senate should wait, most prominently Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
Murkowski told a reporter on Friday before the announcement of Ginsburg’s death that she would not vote for a new Supreme Court justice before the election, saying, “Fair is fair.” On Aug. 3, the senator from Alaska said it would be a “double standard” to fill a vacancy before the November election adding that she “would not support it.”
Murkowski is not up for reelection in 2020, but in 2018 she was the only Republican senator to oppose Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Senate confirmation.
Sen. Chuck Grassley also reportedly said before Ginsburg’s death that he would not support confirming a justice prior to the election. Grassley told NBC News in August that “he couldn’t move forward with it,” saying it would backtrack his 2016 position of blocking then-president Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland.
Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, who is also locked in a complicated reelection campaign, has not yet commented on the timing of a vote. Other Republicans in tight campaigns, such as Arizona’s Martha McSally and North Carolina’s Thom Tillis, have said they support moving forward with a nomination.
Trump announced 20 new potential Supreme Court picks just last week, including three Republican colleagues of Collins’ — Sens. Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, and Josh Hawley. The latter, Hawley, said he would not accept the nomination.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed Friday night he would move forward with a vote on whoever Trump nominates, despite famously staving off the Garland nomination in 2016.


buzzfeed--2020-09-19--Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Death Increases The Likelihood That Obamacare Is Repealed Next Year

WASHINGTON — The fight to replace the late justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court could determine whether Obamacare is repealed next year , potentially stripping tens of millions of people of their health insurance during a global pandemic .
After Republicans in Congress failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017 , 20 red state attorneys general led by Texas launched a lawsuit to have the law overturned by the courts .
The case is scheduled to go before the Supreme Court for oral arguments on November 10 , one week after the election .
A decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2021 .
Obamacare defenders had hoped that the four Democrat-appointed Supreme Court justices along with Chief Justice John Roberts would quash the Republican suit .
Roberts previously voted with the liberal wing to uphold the ACA in 2012 .
But Ginsburg ’ s death Friday changes that calculus dramatically .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already said he will put forward a Trump nominee to replace Ginsburg on the court .
If Republicans are successful , the ACA ’ s fate could be decided by a majority made up of three Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Neil Gorsuch already on the bench — plus Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas , who make up the rightmost flank of the court .
Progressive activists are now gearing up to try to make health care the centerpiece of the election , similar to the 2018 midterms when Democrats took back the House running prominently on the argument that Republicans would take away protections for people with pre-existing conditions .
“ Health care is on the ballot .
Period , ” said Brad Woodhouse , executive director of health advocacy organization Protect Our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to preserve the ACA is for Democratic nominee Joe Biden and Senate Democrats to run hard on health care and win .
“ If after that [ Republicans ] still go down this repeal path then they ’ re signing their political death certificate for years to come , ” he said .
“ So we ’ ve got to make this a health care election.
” '' Voters understand : the next Justice who goes on the Court will decide whether or not they will still have protections for pre-existing conditions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News .
`` That ’ s a fight that ’ s good for Democrats .
It carried them to the House majority in 2018 and it is motivating voters in communities all over the country .
It will further motivate voters to turn out for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris . ''
Typically presidential administrations defend federal laws in court , but the Trump administration sided with the Republican governors in the Obamacare case .
In June , the White House filed a brief arguing the entire 900-page Affordable Care Act should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promised to release an Obamacare replacement plan that would provide better coverage to more people for less cost .
He has never released a plan .
A range of outcomes are on the table .
The court justices could send the suit back to a lower court , which has already happened once at the federal level .
If a new justice is not appointed by November 10 the case could result in a 4-4 tie .
But historically in high-profile cases where a tie is a possibility , the justices have held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ round of arguments once the new justice has been confirmed , Stephen Vladeck , a professor at the University of Texas School of Law and Supreme Court litigator , told BuzzFeed News .
That would significantly delay an Obamacare ruling , potentially well into 2021 .
A conservative-majority court could also uphold the ACA ’ s constitutionality .
Repealing Obamacare would remove the ban on denying or jacking up prices for health insurance to people with pre-existing health conditions .
It would repeal the Medicaid expansion , which provides health insurance to millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be eliminated include letting children stay on their parents ’ insurance plans until the age of 26 , caps on out-of-pocket cost sharings , a ban on annual or lifetime limits on what an insurance plan can pay out , and a list of benefits that all regulated plans must cover .
This would also take place during a global health pandemic .
Republicans have insisted that these provisions would not go away because Congress would step in to pass a new law .
Democrats have mostly dismissed this as a fantasy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government for two years and they couldn ’ t do anything on health care .
Why on earth would we be able to restore the full protections in the Affordable Care Act with a divided government , ” Sen. Chris Murphy told BuzzFeed News .
In the current Congress , the parties are pursuing totally opposite health care visions .
Democrats want to expand the Obamacare markets to bring in more people , which could in turn drive down prices .
Republicans want to allow healthy people to move to cheaper — but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Obamacare markets .
The red state lawsuit rests on a novel and widely derided two-part argument that Congress unintentionally made the ACA unconstitutional when it repealed the individual mandate — the penalty that people had to pay if they did not purchase health insurance — in 2017 .
The first part of the argument is that the mandate rested on Congress ’ s taxation powers so removing the tax made it unconstitutional .
The second part is that if that one section of the ACA is unconstitutional then the entire law , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , needs to be thrown out .

WASHINGTON — The fight to replace the late justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court could determine whether Obamacare is repealed next year, potentially stripping tens of millions of people of their health insurance during a global pandemic.
After Republicans in Congress failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017, 20 red-state attorneys general led by Texas launched a lawsuit to have the law overturned by the courts. The case is scheduled to go before the Supreme Court for oral arguments on Nov. 10, one week after the election. A decision could come in the first half of 2021.
Obamacare defenders had hoped that the four Democrat-appointed Supreme Court justices along with Chief Justice John Roberts would quash the Republican suit. Roberts previously voted with the liberal wing to uphold the ACA in 2012. But Ginsburg’s death Friday changes that calculus dramatically.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already said he will put forward a Trump nominee to replace Ginsburg on the court. If Republicans are successful, the ACA’s fate could be decided by a majority made up of three Trump appointees — with Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch already on the bench — plus Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, who make up the rightmost flank of the court.
Progressive activists are now gearing up to try to make healthcare the centerpiece of the election, similar to the 2018 midterms when Democrats took back the House running prominently on the argument that Republicans would take away protections for people with preexisting conditions.
“Healthcare is on the ballot. Period,” said Brad Woodhouse, executive director of health advocacy organization Protect Our Care.
Woodhouse said the best way to preserve the ACA is for Democratic nominee Joe Biden and Senate Democrats to run hard on healthcare and win. “If after that [Republicans] still go down this repeal path, then they’re signing their political death certificate for years to come,” he said. “So we’ve got to make this a healthcare election.”
"Voters understand: The next justice who goes on the court will decide whether or not they will still have protections for preexisting conditions," a Biden campaign official told BuzzFeed News. "That’s a fight that’s good for Democrats. It carried them to the House majority in 2018 and it is motivating voters in communities all over the country. It will further motivate voters to turn out for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris."
Typically presidential administrations defend federal laws in court, but the Trump administration sided with the Republican governors in the Obamacare case. In June, the White House filed a brief arguing the entire 900-page Affordable Care Act should be tossed out.
Trump has for years promised to release an Obamacare replacement plan that would provide better coverage to more people for less cost. He has never released a plan.
A range of outcomes are on the table. The court justices could send the suit back to a lower court, which has already happened once at the federal level. If a new justice is not appointed by Nov. 10 the case could result in a 4–4 tie. But historically in high-profile cases where a tie is a possibility, the justices have held off on a decision and reschedule another round of arguments once the new justice has been confirmed, Stephen Vladeck, a professor at the University of Texas School of Law and Supreme Court litigator, told BuzzFeed News. That would significantly delay an Obamacare ruling, potentially well into 2021. A conservative-majority court could also uphold the ACA’s constitutionality.
Repealing Obamacare would remove the ban on denying or jacking up prices for health insurance to people with preexisting health conditions. It would repeal the Medicaid expansion, which provides health insurance to millions of low-income Americans. Other provisions that would be eliminated include letting children stay on their parents’ insurance plans until the age of 26, caps on out-of-pocket cost sharings, a ban on annual or lifetime limits on what an insurance plan can pay out, and a list of benefits that all regulated plans must cover. This would also take place during a global health pandemic.
Republicans have insisted that these provisions would not go away because Congress would step in to pass a new law. Democrats have mostly dismissed this as a fantasy. “They controlled every branch of government for two years and they couldn’t do anything on healthcare. Why on earth would we be able to restore the full protections in the Affordable Care Act with a divided government?” Sen. Chris Murphy told BuzzFeed News.
In the current Congress, the parties are pursuing totally opposite healthcare visions. Democrats want to expand the Obamacare markets to bring in more people, which could in turn drive down prices. Republicans want to allow healthy people to move to cheaper — but skimpier — unregulated plans, which weakens the Obamacare markets.
The red-state lawsuit rests on a novel and widely derided two-part argument that Congress unintentionally made the ACA unconstitutional when it repealed the individual mandate — the penalty that people had to pay if they did not purchase health insurance — in 2017. The first part of the argument is that the mandate rested on Congress’s taxation powers so removing the tax made it unconstitutional. The second part is that if that one section of the ACA is unconstitutional then the entire law, containing hundreds of pages of unrelated policy, needs to be thrown out.


buzzfeed--2020-09-19--Will Republicans Vote On A Supreme Court Nominee Before The Election? A Lot Hinges On The Intense Se

Will Republicans Vote On A Supreme Court Nominee Before The Election? A Lot Hinges On The Intense Senate Campaigns In 2020.

President Donald Trump has said he ’ ll nominate a replacement to fill the late justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said there will be a vote .
But will there be a vote before the election , and will Republicans actually be able to confirm a justice to the Supreme Court ?
If you ’ re focused on the Biden-Trump race : The Senate is very close this year .
There are a lot of competitive races across the country , many of them in the same states where the presidential race is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in polling this fall .
The big question of the lifetime Supreme Court appointment will be looming over the short-term question of who controls the Senate .
Already , three Republican senators in tightly contested seats — Martha McSally , Thom Tillis , and Kelly Loeffler — have said there should be a vote .
Because of their majority , Republicans can afford to lose only four votes and still confirm a justice .
One , Maine 's Susan Collins , has said that not only should there not be a vote , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or Joe Biden — should select the replacement .
But it ’ s hard to know yet how the public will respond to the idea of replacing a justice in the weeks before the election , though how much anger from the conservative base a Republican senator might risk incurring by going against Trump seems more clear .
There is also the lingering question of whether Republicans will instead push the nomination process until after the election , when they will still hold the majority , no matter what happens this fall , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in place as an election issue for not just Democrats .
Late Friday , McConnell sent what ’ s known as a “ dear colleague ” letter advising Republicans who did not want a vote before the election , or those who were unsure of their position , to keep their “ powder dry ” — and not commit publicly to a position .
Colorado ’ s Cory Gardner , another Republican in a competitive races , has not publicly commented on the matter of a vote since Ginsburg ’ s death , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for comment .
Other senators up for re-election in states where the races are expected to be at least competitive have been much more clear .
“ This U.S. Senate should vote on President Trump ’ s next nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court , ” Arizona ’ s Martha McSally tweeted on Friday night .
McSally , who filled the late Sen. John McCain ’ s seat , is in an intense special election race to keep that seat against Democrat Mark Kelly , the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Sen. Kelly Loeffler who is running in a close race for a full-term in the Senate after being appointed to finish retired Sen. Johnny Isakson ’ s term , tweeted that the “ the future of our country is at stake.
” She added that Trump has “ every right ” to pick a new justice for the court ahead of the election .
Georgia holds an all-party primary on Election Day , so unlike many of her other Republican colleagues , Loeffler is actually facing her fiercest competition in November from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tight race against Rep. Doug Collins , a Trump ally .
“ I will support President Trump in nominating a strict constructionist before the election who will protect innocent life and safeguard conservative values , ” Loeffler said in a statement to BuzzFeed News on Friday night .
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis also called on the Senate to confirm a new justice ahead of the presidential election in a tweet on Saturday morning .
“ Four years ago , a Supreme Court vacancy arose under divided government and a lame-duck president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Today however , President Trump is again facing voters at the ballot box , ” Tillis said .
“ There is a clear choice on the future of the Supreme Court between the well-qualified and conservative jurist President Trump will nominate and I will support , and the liberal activist Joe Biden will nominate.
” On Friday , before the news of Ginsburg ’ s death , Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she would not vote on a Supreme Court nominee until after the election .
Murkowski is not up for re-election , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she has broken with the party on big issues in recent years , including when she voted against Justice Brett Kavanaugh ’ s confirmation .
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham , who is facing a close re-election campaign against Jaime Harrison and chairs the Judiciary Committee , previously said that if a vacancy on the Supreme Court became open in the last year of Trump ’ s term that they would “ wait to the next election.
” But in May , Graham told Full Court Press that a vacancy in 2020 would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Merrick Garland ’ s nomination by president Barack Obama ahead of the 2016 election .
“ I think appointing judges is a high priority for me in 2020 , ” Graham said in the May interview .
In 2016 , when Republicans blocked the nomination of Garland after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia , Graham — a member of what was known as the “ Gang of 14 , ” a bipartisan group that worked to preserve the judicial filibuster in the 2000s — gave a speech about how the maneuver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics more broadly .
“ We ’ re setting a precedent here today , the Republicans are , that in the last year — at least of a lame-duck , eight-year term , I would say it ’ s going to be a four-year term — that you ’ re not going to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court , based on what we ’ re doing here today , ” he said at the time .
“ That ’ s going to be the new rule.
” In that speech , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was handling judicial nominations would become more and more polarized and party-line .
“ So , what does that mean ?
We ’ re going to pick the most hard-ass people that we can find , ” Graham said in 2016 .
“ And dare somebody in the conference to vote against that person .
You ’ re going to have the most liberal members of your caucus pushing you to pick the most liberal judges cause you don ’ t need to have to reach across the aisle to get any of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do the same.
” “ So , over time , the judiciary is going to be more ideologically driven because the process in the Senate now does not require you to get outside your own party , ” Graham said in 2016 .
On Saturday morning , Graham reiterated in a tweet that 2020 is “ different.
” Ginsburg ’ s death has seemed to motivate Democrats , who have flooded Democratic campaigns with donations since the Friday night announcement and McConnell ’ s letter suggests that he knows that some Republicans are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reelection campaigns .
“ This is not the time to prematurely lock yourselves into a position you may later regret , ” McConnell told Republican senators in his letter .

President Donald Trump has said he’ll nominate a replacement to fill the late justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said there will be a vote.
But will there be a vote before the election, and will Republicans actually be able to confirm a justice to the Supreme Court?
If you’re focused on the Biden–Trump race: The Senate is very close this year. There are a lot of competitive races across the country, many of them in the same states where the presidential race is close, and several where Republicans trail in polling this fall. The big question of the lifetime Supreme Court appointment will be looming over the short-term question of who controls the Senate.
Already, three Republican senators in tightly contested seats — Martha McSally, Thom Tillis, and Kelly Loeffler — have said there should be a vote. Because of their majority, Republicans can afford to lose only four votes and still confirm a justice.
One, Maine's Susan Collins, has said that not only should there not be a vote, that the next president — whether Trump or Joe Biden — should select the replacement.
But it’s hard to know yet how the public will respond to the idea of replacing a justice in the weeks before the election, though how much anger from the conservative base a Republican senator might risk incurring by going against Trump seems more clear. There is also the lingering question of whether Republicans will instead push the nomination process until after the election, when they will still hold the majority, no matter what happens this fall, through January — potentially keeping the court in place as an election issue for not just Democrats.
Late Friday, McConnell sent what’s known as a “dear colleague” letter advising Republicans who did not want a vote before the election, or those who were unsure of their position, to keep their “powder dry” — and not commit publicly to a position.
Colorado’s Cory Gardner, another Republican in a competitive race, has not publicly commented on the matter of a vote since Ginsburg’s death, nor did he respond to a request for comment.
Other senators up for reelection in states where the races are expected to be at least competitive have been much clearer.
“This U.S. Senate should vote on President Trump’s next nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court,” Arizona’s Martha McSally tweeted on Friday night.
McSally, who filled the late Sen. John McCain’s seat, is in an intense special election race to keep that seat against Democrat Mark Kelly, the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords and a gun control advocate.
In Georgia, Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who is running in a close race for a full term in the Senate after being appointed to finish retired Sen. Johnny Isakson’s term, tweeted that the “the future of our country is at stake.” She added that Trump has “every right” to pick a new justice for the court ahead of the election.
Georgia holds an all-party primary on Election Day, so unlike many of her other Republican colleagues, Loeffler is actually facing her fiercest competition in November from the right. Loeffler is running in a tight race against Rep. Doug Collins, a Trump ally.
“I will support President Trump in nominating a strict constructionist before the election who will protect innocent life and safeguard conservative values,” Loeffler said in a statement to BuzzFeed News on Friday night.
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis also called on the Senate to confirm a new justice ahead of the presidential election in a tweet on Saturday morning.
“Four years ago, a Supreme Court vacancy arose under divided government and a lame-duck president as Americans were choosing his successor. Today however, President Trump is again facing voters at the ballot box,” Tillis said. “There is a clear choice on the future of the Supreme Court between the well-qualified and conservative jurist President Trump will nominate and I will support, and the liberal activist Joe Biden will nominate.”
On Friday, before the news of Ginsburg’s death, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she would not vote on a Supreme Court nominee until after the election. Murkowski is not up for reelection, but along with Sen. Mitt Romney, she has broken with the party on big issues in recent years, including when she voted against Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is facing a close reelection campaign against Jaime Harrison and chairs the Judiciary Committee, previously said that if a vacancy on the Supreme Court became open in the last year of Trump’s term that they would “wait to the next election.” But in May, Graham told Full Court Press that a vacancy in 2020 would be a “different situation” compared to Merrick Garland’s nomination by then-president Barack Obama ahead of the 2016 election.
“I think appointing judges is a high priority for me in 2020,” Graham said in the May interview.
In 2016, when Republicans blocked the nomination of Garland after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, Graham — a member of what was known as the “Gang of 14,” a bipartisan group that worked to preserve the judicial filibuster in the 2000s — gave a speech about how the maneuver could come back to haunt Republicans and politics more broadly.
“We’re setting a precedent here today, the Republicans are, that in the last year — at least of a lame-duck, eight-year term, I would say it’s going to be a four-year term — that you’re not going to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court, based on what we’re doing here today,” he said at the time. “That’s going to be the new rule.”
In that speech, he argued that the way the Senate was handling judicial nominations would become more and more polarized and party-line.
“So what does that mean? We’re going to pick the most hard-ass people that we can find,” Graham said in 2016. “And dare somebody in the conference to vote against that person. You’re going to have the most liberal members of your caucus pushing you to pick the most liberal judges cause you don’t need to have to reach across the aisle to get any of our input — and we’ll do the same.”
“So, over time, the judiciary is going to be more ideologically driven because the process in the Senate now does not require you to get outside your own party,” Graham said in 2016.
On Saturday morning, Graham reiterated in a tweet that 2020 is “different.”
Ginsburg’s death has seemed to motivate Democrats, who have flooded Democratic campaigns with donations since the Friday night announcement and McConnell’s letter suggests that he knows that some Republicans are walking a fine line ahead of their reelection campaigns.
“This is not the time to prematurely lock yourselves into a position you may later regret,” McConnell told Republican senators in his letter.


buzzfeed--2020-09-19--China Secretly Built A Vast New Infrastructure To Imprison Muslims

China rounded up so many Muslims in Xinjiang that there wasn ’ t enough space to hold them .
Then the government started building .
This is Part 1 of a BuzzFeed News investigation .
For Part 2 , click here .
This project was supported by the Open Technology Fund , the Pulitzer Center , and the Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism .
China has secretly built scores of massive new prison and internment camps in the past three years , dramatically escalating its campaign against Muslim minorities even as it publicly claimed the detainees had all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these purpose-built , high-security camps — some capable of housing tens of thousands of people — signals a radical shift away from the country ’ s previous makeshift use of public buildings , like schools and retirement homes , to a vast and permanent infrastructure for mass detention .
In the most extensive investigation of China ’ s internment camp system ever done using publicly available satellite images , coupled with dozens of interviews with former detainees , BuzzFeed News identified more than 260 structures built since 2017 and bearing the hallmarks of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least one in nearly every county in the far-west region of Xinjiang .
During that time , the investigation shows , China has established a sprawling system to detain and incarcerate hundreds of thousands of Uighurs , Kazakhs , and other Muslim minorities , in what is already the largest-scale detention of ethnic and religious minorities since World War II .
These forbidding facilities — including several built or significantly expanded within the last year — are part of the government ’ s unprecedented campaign of mass detention of more than a million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That year Chen Quanguo , the region ’ s top official and Communist Party boss , whom the US recently sanctioned over human rights abuses , also put Muslim minorities — more than half the region ’ s population of about 25 million — under perpetual surveillance via facial recognition cameras , cellphone tracking , checkpoints , and heavy-handed human policing .
They are also subject to many other abuses , ranging from sterilization to forced labor .
To detain thousands of people in short order , the government repurposed old schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the number of detainees swelled , in 2018 the government began building new facilities with far greater security measures and more permanent architectural features , such as heavy concrete walls and guard towers , the BuzzFeed News analysis shows .
Prisons often take years to build , but some of these new compounds took less than six months , according to historical satellite data .
The government has also added more factories within camp and prison compounds during that time , suggesting the expansion of forced labor within the region .
Construction was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ People are living in horror in these places , ” said 49-year-old Zhenishan Berdibek , who was detained in a camp in the Tacheng region for much of 2018 .
“ Some of the younger people were not as tolerant as us — they cried and screamed and shouted.
” But Berdibek , a cancer survivor , couldn ’ t muster the energy .
As she watched the younger women get dragged away to solitary confinement , “ I lost my hope , ” she said .
“ I wanted to die @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 268 newly built compounds by cross-referencing blanked-out areas on Baidu Maps — a Google Maps–like tool that ’ s widely used in China — with images from external satellite data providers .
These compounds often contained multiple detention facilities .
Ninety-two of these facilities have been identified or verified as detention centers by other sources , such as government procurement documents , academic research , or , in 19 cases , visits by journalists .
Another 176 facilities have been established by satellite imagery alone .
The images frequently show thick walls at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wire fencing that creates pens and corridors in the courtyards .
Many compounds in the region are walled , but the facilities identified by BuzzFeed News have much heavier fortifications .
At 121 of these compounds , they also show guard towers , often built into the perimeter wall .
In response to a detailed list of questions about this article as well as a list of GPS coordinates of facilities identified in this article , the Chinese Consulate in New York said “ the issue concerning Xinjiang is by no means about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but about combating violent terrorism and separatism , ” adding that it was a “ groundless lie ” that a million Uighurs have been detained in the region .
“ Xinjiang has set up vocational education and training centers in order to root out extreme thoughts , enhance the rule of law awareness through education , improve vocational skills and create employment opportunities for them , so that those affected by extreme and violent ideas can return to society as soon as possible , ” the consulate added , saying human rights are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trainees have freedom of movement.
” But it also compared its program to “ compulsory programs for terrorist criminals ” it said are taking place in other countries including the US and UK .
China 's Foreign Ministry and Baidu did not respond to repeated requests for comment .
The new facilities are scattered across every populated area of the region , and several are large enough to accommodate 10,000 prisoners at a minimum , based on their size and architectural features .
( One of the reporters on this story is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the new facilities appear more permanent and prisonlike , similar in construction to high-security prisons in other parts of China .
The most highly fortified compounds offer little space between buildings , tiny concrete-walled yards , heavy masonry construction , and long networks of corridors with cells down either side .
Their layouts are cavernous , allowing little natural light to the interior of the buildings .
BuzzFeed News could see how rooms were laid out at some high-security facilities by examining historical satellite photos taken as they were being constructed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With at least tens of thousands of detainees crowded into government buildings repurposed as camps by the end of 2017 , the government began building the largest new facilities in the spring of 2018 .
Several were complete by October 2018 , with further facilities built through 2019 and construction of a handful more continuing even now .
The government has said its camps are schools and vocational training centers where detainees are “ deradicalized.
” The government ’ s own internal documentation about its policies in Xinjiang has used the term “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ describe “ educational schools.
” The government claims that its campaign combats extremism in the region .
But most who end up in these facilities are not extremists of any sort .
Downloading WhatsApp , which is banned in China , maintaining ties with family abroad , engaging in prayer , and visiting a foreign website are all offenses for which Muslims have been sent to camps , according to previously leaked documents and interviews with former detainees .
Because the government does not consider internment camps to be part of the criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are crimes under Chinese law , no detainees have been formally arrested or charged with a crime , let alone seen a day in court .
The compounds BuzzFeed News identified likely include extrajudicial internment camps — which hold people who are not suspected of any crime — as well as prisons .
Both types of facilities have security features that closely resemble each other .
Xinjiang ’ s prison population has grown massively during the government ’ s campaign : In 2017 , the region had 21 % of all arrests in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 % of the national population — an eightfold increase from the year before , according to a New York Times analysis of government data .
Because China ’ s Communist Party–controlled courts have a more than 99 % conviction rate , the overwhelming majority of those arrests likely resulted in convictions .
People detained in the camps told BuzzFeed News they were subjected to torture , hunger , overcrowding , solitary confinement , forced birth control , and a range of other abuses .
They said they were put through brainwashing programs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to speak only in the Chinese language .
Some former detainees said they were forced to labor without pay in factories .
The government heavily restricts the movements of independent journalists and researchers in the region , and heavily censors the internet and its own domestic media .
Muslim minorities can be punished for posts on social media .
But satellite images that are collected from independent providers remain outside the scope of Chinese government censorship .
Other kinds of evidence have also occasionally leaked out .
In September , a drone video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their heads shaven and their arms tied behind their backs , wearing vests that say “ Kashgar Detention Center.
” Nathan Ruser , a researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute who has done extensive satellite imagery analysis of the detention and prison systems in Xinjiang , said the video shows a prisoner transfer that took place in April 2019 — months after the government first said the system was for vocational training .
Previous analyses , including by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in November 2018 , identified several dozen early camps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Xinjiang has the overall logic of colonial genocides in North America , the formalized racism of apartheid , the industrial-scale internment of Germany 's concentration camps , and the police-state penetration into everyday life of North Korea , ” said Rian Thum , a scholar of the history of Islam in China at the University of Nottingham .
The campaign has done deep damage to many Muslim minority groups — but especially Uighurs , who are by far the most populous ethnic minority group in Xinjiang and do not have ties to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has heavily penalized expressions of Turkic minority culture , from Kazakh- and Uighur-language education to the practice of Islam outside of state-controlled mosques .
This , combined with forced sterilizations , has led some critics to say that the campaign qualifies as genocide under international law .
The Trump administration is reportedly discussing whether to formally call it a genocide , and a spokesperson for Joe Biden , the Democratic nominee for president , said on Tuesday that Biden supports the label .
“ These are peaceful people in concentration camps , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was jailed and later exiled from Xinjiang after opening kindergartens that taught Uighur children in their own language .
“ They are businessmen and scholars and engineers .
They are our musicians .
They are doctors .
They are shopkeepers , restaurant owners , teachers who used Uighur textbooks .
“ These are the pillars of our society .
Without them , we can not exist.
” Early on , the government remade schools , retirement homes , hospitals , and other public buildings into internment camps .
There were other , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News identified 47 built before 2017 that have been used to lock people up in the region .
Some detention facilities are geared toward releasing detainees after several months ; in others , detainees may be sentenced to prison terms , said Adrian Zenz , a leading researcher on the abuses in Xinjiang .
Three former detainees interviewed by BuzzFeed News said they were held for months in detention without any charges against them — far longer than is allowed by law — before they were transferred to internment camps .
The detentions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers in the camps quickly swelled until the inmates were living on top of each other .
BuzzFeed News interviewed 28 former detainees from the region , many of whom described being blindfolded and handcuffed , much like the men shown in the video .
Many spoke through an interpreter .
They are among a tiny minority of former detainees who were released and left the country — but they described a brutal system that they saw growing and changing with their own eyes .
Most recalled being frequently moved from camp to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was meant to combat overcrowding in the first generation of makeshift facilities .
At the beginning of the campaign , hundreds of people were arriving on a daily basis .
New batches of detainees always seemed to be coming and going .
Some former detainees described sleeping two to a twin bed , or even sleeping in shifts when there was not enough room to house all the detainees .
Almost all said they received meager quantities of rice , steamed buns , and porridge , and little or no meat or other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ethnic Kazakh , was first detained relatively early in the campaign , around the end of 2017 .
At first , he slept in a room with seven other men , and everyone had a bed to themselves .
But within a few months , he began to notice more and more people arriving .
“ One day I saw a pregnant woman in shackles , ” he said .
“ Another woman had a baby in her arms , she was breastfeeding.
” By February 2018 , there were 15 men in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some of us had to share blankets or sleep on the floor , ” he said .
“ They told us later that some of us would be given prison sentences or transferred to other camps.
” Camp officials regularly forced detainees to memorize Communist Party propaganda and Chinese characters in classrooms .
But some former detainees said their facilities were too crowded for even this — instead , they had to sit on plastic stools next to their beds and stare at textbooks , sitting with their backs perfectly straight while cameras @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there were too many people to fit in classrooms .
For Koksebek , the claustrophobia was unbearable .
“ There was a window in our room , but it was so high I couldn ’ t see much other than a patch of sky , ” he said .
“ I used to wish I were a bird so I could have the freedom to fly.
” On a frigid , overcast morning last December , Shohrat Zakir , the region ’ s governor and second-most-powerful official , gave a rare press conference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Office , located in a closed compound in central Beijing .
The office is one of only a handful of government bodies in China that regularly briefs both local and international journalists , and Zakir sat with four other officials at a long podium at the front of the small room .
The officials took the opportunity to tout the region ’ s economic growth and claim China ’ s campaign against terrorism in Xinjiang has been a success , calling the US government hypocritical for its criticism of China ’ s human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one who made international headlines .
Of those held in the camps as “ trainees , ” Zakir painted a rosy picture .
They “ have all graduated , and have realized stable employment with the government ’ s help , improved their quality of life , and are enjoying a happy life , ” he said .
Even as reporters were scribbling down his remarks , about 2,500 miles away in Xinjiang , construction was wrapping up on a massive high-security compound near the Uighur heartland county of Shufu , just south @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a countryside dotted by livestock farms .
Shufu is small by Chinese standards , with a population of about 300,000 people .
It has a main drag with a post office , a lottery ticket vendor , and eateries selling steamed buns and beef noodle soup .
The camp was built on farmland less than a 20-minute drive away .
Before workers started construction last March , the land beneath the Shufu site was farmland too , blanketed with green vegetation .
By August , workers had built a thick perimeter enclosure , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in the center of walls that rise nearly 6 meters , or more than 19 feet , satellite images show .
Next came the buildings inside , organized in U-shaped groups , with two five-story structures alongside a two-story one forming the base of the U .
By October , two rows of barbed wire fencing appeared on either side of the main concrete-walled compound , its shadow visible in satellite images .
Just outside the walls , on the western side of the compound , two guard buildings were built — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from them up to the wall that would allow guards to access the guard towers and the tops of the walls for patrols .
In front of the entrance , a series of buildings provided space for prison offices and police buildings .
In total BuzzFeed News estimates that there is room for approximately 10,500 prisoners at this compound — which would help provide a long-term solution to overcrowding .
Ruser reviewed satellite images of the compound and said it was a newly built detention camp .
“ The vast majority of camps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a strong external wall entranceway or exit , ” he said .
Unlike the old , repurposed camps , new prisons and camps such as this one have higher security , with gates up to four stories tall and thicker walls along their borders , often with further layers of barbed wire on either side of the main walls .
These features suggest they are capable of holding much larger groups of people in long-term detention .
The camps can contain not only cells where detainees sleep , but also classrooms , clinics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solitary confinement rooms , police buildings , administrative offices , and small visitor centers , former detainees told BuzzFeed News .
Many of the compounds also contain factories , distinguished by their blue , powder-coated metal roofs and steel frames , which are visible in satellite photos taken while they were being constructed .
The police buildings , including for guards and administrative personnel , are usually located by the entrances of the compounds .
The locations of these camps and prisons in Xinjiang are not readily available .
However , blanked-out portions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it possible to use satellite imagery to find and analyze them .
Satellite maps , like Google Earth , are made up of a grid of rectangular tiles .
On Baidu , the Chinese search giant that has a map service much like Google ’ s , BuzzFeed News discovered that spaces containing camps , military bases , or other politically sensitive facilities were overlaid with plain light gray tiles .
These “ mask ” tiles appeared upon zooming in on the location .
These look different from the darker gray , watermarked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ load something .
The “ mask ” tiles were also present at other locations where camps had been visited and verified by journalists , though they have since been removed .
BuzzFeed News identified the compounds using other satellite maps — provided by Google Earth , Planet Labs , and the European Space Agency ’ s Sentinel Hub — which do not mask those images .
For some locations where high-resolution images were not publicly available , Planet Labs used its own satellite to take new pictures , then provided them to BuzzFeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this investigation was conducted .
The images showed the facilities being built over a period of months .
Details from the images offer a sense of size and scale : Counting the number of windows in building facades , for example , shows how many stories they contain .
Often , these compounds were built next door to an older prison , sharing parking lots , administrative facilities , and police barracks with the older facility , satellite images show .
BuzzFeed News found an additional 50 more compounds that were likely used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost some security features , including barbed wire fencing within compounds used to create rectangular pens , closed passages between buildings , and guard towers , with a small number having been demolished .
Ruser and other experts said this does not suggest the Chinese government is pulling back from its campaign .
Many of those facilities likely still operate as low-security camps , he said .
The far more important trend in Xinjiang , he said , is the government ’ s increased use of higher-security prisons and detention facilities .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in New York echoed Zakir 's December statement .
`` All trainees who received courses in standard spoken and written Chinese , understanding of the law , vocational skills , and deradicalization have completed their training , secured stable employment in the society , and are living a normal life , '' it said .
Smile lines appear on Kokteubai ’ s deeply wrinkled face when he talks about his daughter , who was born in 1992 .
She later moved to Kazakhstan , where many ethnic Kazakhs from China emigrate because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for people of Kazakh descent .
There , she and her husband campaigned relentlessly for Kokteubai ’ s release in YouTube videos and long letters to human rights groups .
He believes his eventual release in March 2018 was due to her campaign .
Inside the camp , instead of classrooms where students like his daughter might have studied math or history , Kokteubai saw dorm rooms overcrowded with as many as 40 or 50 men each sleeping on too few bunk beds .
Though the compound itself wasn ’ t new , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as high walls and barbed wire around the compound .
And the camp was now dotted with CCTV cameras , which a guard told him could film objects as far as 200 meters away .
Another thing that was new : When you entered the gate , a huge red plaque greeted you .
“ Let ’ s learn the spirit of the 19th Communist Party Congress , ” it said .
Like Kokteubai , several former detainees interviewed by BuzzFeed News said after arriving , they recognized the facilities in which they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ driven past them , or even visited them in their previous incarnations .
But these repurposed facilities were never meant to house prisoners and were not big enough to hold all the Muslim minorities the Chinese government intended to detain .
In early 2019 , workers started clearing land to expand a camp south of Ürümqi , in a town called Dabancheng , that had become infamous after reporters from BBC and Reuters visited the year before .
The camp at Dabancheng was already one of the largest internment facilities in the region @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to 32,500 people , according to an architectural analysis by BuzzFeed News .
Since the expansion , it is now capable of housing some 10,000 more people .
By November of last year another , separate compound had been completed , this one capable of holding a further 10,000 people — for a total capacity of more than 40,000 , comparable to the size of the town of Niagara Falls .
`` These facilities display characteristics consistent with extrajudicial detention facilities in the Xinjiang region that CSIS has previously analyzed , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human rights program at Washington DC-based think tank CSIS after examining the three camps referenced in this article .
The camp at Dabancheng , Ruser said , “ is the main catchment camp for Ürümqi .
It ’ s 2 km ( 1.2 miles ) long and was expanded late last year an extra kilometer with a new facility across the road to the west.
” By comparison , the camp is about half the length of Central Park .
Kokteubai never found out precisely why he was detained .
Because he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to settle in Kazakhstan .
On the day he was released , he expected to feel joy , relief , something .
Instead he felt nothing at all .
“ I wasn ’ t happy or sad .
I couldn ’ t feel anything , ” he said .
“ Even when I was reunited with my relatives in Kazakhstan , they asked me why I didn ’ t seem happy to see them after so long.
” “ It ’ s something I can ’ t explain , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feelings died while I was in there.
” ●

Ninety-two of these facilities have been identified or verified as detention centers by other sources, such as government procurement documents, academic research, or, in 19 cases, visits by journalists.
Another 176 facilities have been established by satellite imagery alone. The images frequently show thick walls at the perimeter, and often, barbed wire fencing that creates pens and corridors in the courtyards. Many compounds in the region are walled, but the facilities identified by BuzzFeed News have much heavier fortifications. At 121 of these compounds, they also show guard towers, often built into the perimeter wall.
In response to a detailed list of questions about this article as well as a list of GPS coordinates of facilities identified in this article, the Chinese Consulate in New York said “the issue concerning Xinjiang is by no means about human rights, religion or ethnicity, but about combating violent terrorism and separatism,” adding that it was a “groundless lie” that a million Uighurs have been detained in the region.
“Xinjiang has set up vocational education and training centers in order to root out extreme thoughts, enhance the rule of law awareness through education, improve vocational skills and create employment opportunities for them, so that those affected by extreme and violent ideas can return to society as soon as possible,” the consulate added, saying human rights are protected in the centers and that “trainees have freedom of movement.” But it also compared its program to “compulsory programs for terrorist criminals” it said are taking place in other countries including the US and UK.
China's Foreign Ministry and Baidu did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
The new facilities are scattered across every populated area of the region, and several are large enough to accommodate 10,000 prisoners at a minimum, based on their size and architectural features. (One of the reporters on this story is a licensed architect.)
Unlike early sites, the new facilities appear more permanent and prisonlike, similar in construction to high-security prisons in other parts of China. The most highly fortified compounds offer little space between buildings, tiny concrete-walled yards, heavy masonry construction, and long networks of corridors with cells down either side. Their layouts are cavernous, allowing little natural light to the interior of the buildings. BuzzFeed News could see how rooms were laid out at some high-security facilities by examining historical satellite photos taken as they were being constructed, including photos of buildings without roofs.
With at least tens of thousands of detainees crowded into government buildings repurposed as camps by the end of 2017, the government began building the largest new facilities in the spring of 2018. Several were complete by October 2018, with further facilities built through 2019 and construction of a handful more continuing even now.
The government has said its camps are schools and vocational training centers where detainees are “deradicalized.” The government’s own internal documentation about its policies in Xinjiang has used the term “concentration,” or 集中, to describe “educational schools.”
The government claims that its campaign combats extremism in the region. But most who end up in these facilities are not extremists of any sort.
Downloading WhatsApp, which is banned in China, maintaining ties with family abroad, engaging in prayer, and visiting a foreign website are all offenses for which Muslims have been sent to camps, according to previously leaked documents and interviews with former detainees. Because the government does not consider internment camps to be part of the criminal justice system and none of these behaviors are crimes under Chinese law, no detainees have been formally arrested or charged with a crime, let alone seen a day in court.
The compounds BuzzFeed News identified likely include extrajudicial internment camps — which hold people who are not suspected of any crime — as well as prisons. Both types of facilities have security features that closely resemble each other. Xinjiang’s prison population has grown massively during the government’s campaign: In 2017, the region had 21% of all arrests in China, despite making up less than 2% of the national population — an eightfold increase from the year before, according to a New York Times analysis of government data. Because China’s Communist Party–controlled courts have a more than 99% conviction rate, the overwhelming majority of those arrests likely resulted in convictions.


buzzfeed--2020-09-20--I Tried Cannabis Mints For The First Time, And Yup, I'm A Fan Now

These are great !
If you 're a fan of cannabis products , you 'll probably dig these .
If @ @ @ @ @ your palate after a particularly garlic-heavy meal , there are obviously stronger ( and cheaper @ @ @ @ @ .
However , if you 're looking to get `` the perfect microdose experience , @ @ @ @ @ .
I could see myself using these on occasion , especially since they 're handy @ @ @ @ @ their cleverly designed , airtight tin .

So, what did they taste like? Just like they smelled...like candy canes.
The mints were sweet and mildly pepperminty — there are definitely "stronger" mints out there, so this seemed like more of a palate refresher than a true breath mint. However, if I didn't know these were cannabis-based, I would never have guessed.


buzzfeed--2020-09-20--Will Republicans Vote On A Supreme Court Nominee Before The Election? Don’t Forget The Intense Senat

Will Republicans Vote On A Supreme Court Nominee Before The Election? Don’t Forget The Intense Senate Campaigns In 2020.


buzzfeed--2020-09-20--Friends And Family Members Of QAnon Believers Are Going Through A “Surreal Goddamn Nightmare”

Almost 200 people told us what it ’ s been like to lose a loved one to the mass delusion .
Here ’ s what they said .
“ We literally watched as she became radicalized.
” “ It feels like we are losing her to an addiction.
” This is how friends and family of QAnon supporters describe what they ’ re going through .
Most don ’ t understand how their loved ones could fall for something so unbelievable .
At its core , the QAnon collective delusion is a belief system that began in the innards of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mainstream .
Believers sign up for a slew of untruths .
Most support Trump , oppose the “ deep state , ” deny vaccination science , say many instances of gun violence were faked , and set off on quixotic crusades for supposedly trafficked children that hinder the real fight against the issue .
Much of their wrath is centered on purported elites who either faked the coronavirus pandemic or spread the virus through 5G technology , a scientific impossibility .
Satanism and drinking the blood of children are common points of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests and anti-fascist activists is widespread .
Taken together , the mass delusion seems outlandish , but a recent Pew Research Center survey showed that roughly half of US adults were aware of QAnon .
Four in ten Republicans who had heard of it said it was good for the country .
But those numbers are only part of the story .
They don ’ t show the impact the delusion has had on people and their relationships .
So , we asked our readers to tell us about the QAnon believers in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Respondents , who mostly said they lived in the United States , ranged in age from 16 to 82 .
Here ’ s what you said .
QAnon has ruined lifelong friendships and alienated family members .
Those who still speak to one another say their relationships have changed , often beyond repair .
Nobody said any of their loved ones had returned to reality .
“ My mom has fallen into the conspiracy beliefs of QAnon , ” Samantha , 30 , who lives in Texas , told BuzzFeed News .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to bring her back to reality , and I ’ ve really tried it all.
” Samantha wrote that after her level-headed and college-educated mother became a believer , she could not save her .
“ Occasionally , I become emotional because we can ’ t have any normal conversations anymore , ” Samantha wrote .
“ It helps talking about it with my younger sister , and her solution is always the same — pray about it , so now that ’ s what I do .
I can ’ t change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hope that things will get better.
” For many , trouble started in March .
“ Once [ my mom ] lost her job in March due to the pandemic , she started spending most of her time watching YouTube videos and reading tweets about and from QAnon believers , ” wrote Katie , 29 , who lives in Alaska .
“ It 's disturbing the things she now believes.
” Another respondent , a 38-year-old from Washington who chose not to provide a name , said their friend of 24 years has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and marijuana ” kind of guy .
The respondent described their friend as someone who didn ’ t complete high school and was always prone to going down conspiracy rabbit holes .
This time was different .
“ This all started in March , ” they wrote .
“ I kept telling him that his beliefs are fine with me but his truth was not my truth .
He eventually took that as an ultimatum and posted that he ‘ lost a friend of 24 years ’ on Facebook.
” “ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We were best friends , and now he and his family are people that I used to know.
” “ My close friend in Northern California , a father of three , a friendly and well-liked small business owner who hardly posted on Facebook , other than just photos of family , suddenly got crazy active 30 days into corona lockdown , ” wrote another respondent .
“ I feel like I have no idea who he is.
” Over and over , respondents mourned the ends of friendships .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been someone I could depend on .
In our early adulthood , we both experienced abusive partners and leaned on each other for support , ” wrote a person living in California who ’ s 31 and didn ’ t provide a name .
“ We 've gotten through life/death situations .
Together .
She 's the only one who has never wavered from my side in 10-plus years.
” The author said their friend ’ s partner is a QAnon believer who makes his own YouTube videos , which is how she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friend has cut herself off from the outside world .
“ She does n't even know what day it is more than half the time.
” “ I 've lost my best friend , ” she said .
“ My only friend .
Her .
I do n't think she 's ever going to come back.
” Susan , 73 , who lives in Hawaii , has also seen “ a very good friend ” become a QAnon supporter .
“ We went around and around for a few days with me providing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote .
“ Finally , she cut me off , and that 's fine .
We ca n't continue our friendship with her denying reality.
” Marriages and romantic relationships have been tested .
QAnon has driven some couples apart , and those who have stuck around describe having to stay on their toes constantly .
“ I lost my partner of eight years to Q , ” one person wrote .
Their partner stumbled onto QAnon through actor Roseanne Barr , who was following a prominent QAnon account .
“ I looked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ researching Q and became emotionally upset over what my partner was reading and believing , ” the person said .
Their relationship ended , but they recently discovered that their former partner was telling people the coronavirus is a hoax .
Another person , who didn ’ t give their name but said they lived in Atlanta , watched a relationship crumble because of QAnon .
“ My cousin is divorcing her husband over his obsession with QAnon .
It ruined their relationship and became a huge wedge between them , ” they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a digital cult and it 's very dangerous .
I ’ m worried about what it will lead to , not only for our own family , but for our society as a whole .
It ’ s really scary.
” Other people said they ’ re trying to hang on to relationships .
Sandra , who lives in North Carolina , said she ’ s been struggling with her partner ’ s way of thinking , in particular his belief that Black Lives Matter protests were part of a conspiracy .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with an admitted QAnon believer , ” she wrote .
“ There seems to be no way out for a QAnon believer , at least for this particular man .
No one else can be right , no one else can be trusted , anyone else who does n't believe is a sheep and the Great Awakening is coming .
It seems to hit on all the resentment he 's ever felt about being rejected or left behind or misunderstood or not as powerful/successful as he 'd like.
” “ I do worry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ single day.
” Frédéric , 55 , who lives in Belgium , was struggling with a similar situation .
“ My partner is spending hours every day in front of her laptop .
Coming to bed late in the night with all kinds of wild theories .
Using rather bizarre terms to describe what awful [ things ] she discovered on the net , ” he wrote .
He describes his partner reciting false theories about vaccines and microchips , talking about the Clintons drinking children ’ s blood , and blaming global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or the Rockefellers .
Attempts to speak with her have been fruitless , he said .
“ This poison is troubling our relationship , so we avoid the subject .
But this is not the right thing to do , I would like her to wake up from this bad dream and face the world like it is , ” Frédéric wrote .
“ I hope that we in Europe will not turn like the Americans .
And I sincerely hope for the US that the country will take another path.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with their children , and children are struggling with their parents .
One respondent described their son joining a militia group and wanting to aid the police as a result of believing in QAnon .
“ He believes that the police welcome the assistance that their militia group offers and that his training will prepare him for the coming civil wars , ” they said .
Another woman describes being ostracized from her Mexican American family who supports both Trump and QAnon .
“ Since I refuse to stay quiet any longer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highly disrespectful and ungrateful daughter that ’ s on the brink of being disowned , ” she wrote .
Many people describe their parents watching YouTube videos and spending time on Facebook for hours on end .
One person said their dad has bought into almost every conspiracy theory he ’ s come across in the last four years , including QAnon .
“ He always sends me links to videos that were ‘ recommended to him ’ by YouTube ’ s own algorithm , ” they said .
“ He used to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flaws , trials , tribulations and putting yourself in others ' shoes .
Now I see him using terms like ‘ cuck , ’ ‘ commie , ’ and ‘ lefty queer.
’ ” “ It ’ s been a nightmare , honestly , ” said another person , whose mom is a QAnon supporter .
“ She has changed her voicemail to say that COVID is a hoax , Hollywood is filled with pedophiles , and to vote early for Trump .
I was so scared after returning home from the summer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , and told her if I ever go missing to start with my mom and her boyfriend.
” A divorced couple 's previously successful co-parenting has broken down because of QAnon .
“ My son is refusing to go to his dad 's house , ” a woman who declined to be named wrote .
“ He is always telling me he wants his old dad back , and it has caused my son so much anxiety .
It makes me so sad.
” In a twist , one hairdresser wrote in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because they became a QAnon believer — while another person wrote in to say they had to stop going to their hairdresser for the same reason .
“ For the past nine years , I never strayed from our monthly hangouts and 5-hour-long discussions while he was dying my hair , ” they wrote .
“ Then the great quarantine came and I did n't see him for a few months , and when I came skipping into the salon in late May , everything was different.
” Even those who don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve come across posts made by acquaintances on social media or seen believers in real life .
Kelly , 33 , who lives in Oklahoma City , has dealt with both .
She wrote that her hometown has been “ taken over ” by supporters .
She used to mess with believers online by pretending to “ take the bait ” and then making up increasingly implausible theories .
“ Best way to sum it up , ” she wrote , `` surreal goddamn nightmare . ''

“Once [my mom] lost her job in March due to the pandemic, she started spending most of her time watching YouTube videos and reading tweets about and from QAnon believers,” wrote Katie, 29, who lives in Alaska. “It's disturbing the things she now believes.”
Another respondent, a 38-year-old from Washington who chose not to provide a name, said their friend of 24 years has always been a “peace, love, and marijuana” kind of guy. The respondent described their friend as someone who didn’t complete high school and was always prone to going down conspiracy rabbit holes. This time was different.
“This all started in March,” they wrote. “I kept telling him that his beliefs are fine with me but his truth was not my truth. He eventually took that as an ultimatum and posted that he ‘lost a friend of 24 years’ on Facebook.”
By April, they stopped speaking.
“It happened so fast,” they wrote. “We were best friends, and now he and his family are people that I used to know.”
“My close friend in Northern California, a father of three, a friendly and well-liked small business owner who hardly posted on Facebook, other than just photos of family, suddenly got crazy active 30 days into corona lockdown,” wrote another respondent. “I feel like I have no idea who he is.”
Over and over, respondents mourned the ends of friendships.
“My (ex) BFF has always been someone I could depend on. In our early adulthood, we both experienced abusive partners and leaned on each other for support,” wrote a person living in California who’s 31 and didn’t provide a name. “We've gotten through life/death situations. Together. She's the only one who has never wavered from my side in 10-plus years.”
The author said their friend’s partner is a QAnon believer who makes his own YouTube videos, which is how she was introduced to it. Now her friend has cut herself off from the outside world. “She doesn't even know what day it is more than half the time.”
“I've lost my best friend,” she said. “My only friend. Her. I don't think she's ever going to come back.”
Susan, 73, who lives in Hawaii, has also seen “a very good friend” become a QAnon supporter.
“We went around and around for a few days with me providing links disproving her beliefs,” Susan wrote. “Finally, she cut me off, and that's fine. We can't continue our friendship with her denying reality.”


buzzfeed--2020-09-21--Penn Badgley And Domino Kirke Welcome Their First Child Together

`` Pregnancy after loss is a whole other thing .
After two miscarriages in a row , we were ready @ @ @ @ @ stopped trusting my body and started to accept the fact that I was done .
@ @ @ @ @ I ’ ve seen and heard it all . ''

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