buzzfeed--2020-09-11--A Court Ruled Texas Can Have Different Rules For Voting By Mail During The Pandemic Based On Age

WASHINGTON — Texas can impose age-based restrictions on who can vote by mail during the coronavirus pandemic , a federal appeals court ruled this week .
Under Texas law , all eligible voters over the age of 65 are allowed to vote by mail .
For Texans under 65 , however , they can only get a mail-in ballot if they 'll be absent from their county on Election Day , are in jail , or if they have a `` qualifying disability '' that prevents them from voting in person — and Texas has said that fear of contracting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ novel coronavirus , does n't count .
In a 2–1 decision on Thursday , the US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit sided with Texas .
Judge Leslie Southwick wrote for the majority that giving older voters a privilege — the right to vote by mail without having to meet any special conditions — did n't hurt the voting rights of voters under 65 .
The pandemic did n't change the analysis , Southwick wrote , since younger voters with an underlying health problem that put them at higher risk could still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The record indicates Texas is taking the kinds of precautions for voting that are being used in other endeavors during the pandemic .
None of them guarantees protection .
There are quite reasonable concerns about voting in person , but the state ’ s mandating that many voters continue to vote in that way does not amount to an absolute prohibition of the right to vote , '' Southwick wrote .
Judge Carl Stewart dissented , writing that the pandemic did affect whether Texas 's vote-by-mail rules violated the 26th Amendment of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights `` shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age . ''
Given the risks of in-person contact right now , he wrote , Texans who are n't allowed to vote by mail `` have less opportunity to participate than others . ''
Texas 's law `` fails to treat members of the electorate equally with regard to mail-in voting .
This unequal treatment is discriminatory in normal times and dangerous in the time of a global pandemic , '' Stewart wrote .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the groups that brought the lawsuit , said in a statement that they would continue to fight the case now that the 5th Circuit had sent it back down to a federal district judge in San Antonio .
Although the appeals court ruled that the state 's law did n't violate the 26th Amendment , it did not decide if it violated the Constitution 's equal protection guarantees .
`` The Texas Democratic Party will continue to fight in the district court for every Texan to have an equal right to vote , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic Party chair Gilberto Hinojosa said in the statement .
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton , a Republican , said in a statement that he commended `` the court for concluding that Texas ’ s decision to allow elderly voters to vote by mail does not violate the 26th Amendment '' and said his office `` will continue to protect the integrity of Texas elections and uphold the rule of law . ''
US District Judge Fred Biery had originally ruled against Texas in May .
He issued a preliminary injunction ordering the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eligible voter who asked for one citing the pandemic — lack of immunity to COVID-19 was `` indeed a physical condition , '' he wrote , and `` [ o ] ne 's right to vote should not be elusively based on the whims of nature . ''
Biery had harsh words for Texas at the time .
Alluding to the Declaration of Independence , he wrote that Americans asking to vote by mail during the pandemic were seeking `` Life without fear of pandemic , Liberty to choose their leaders in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Happiness without undue restrictions . ''
`` For want of a vote , our democracy and the Republic would be lost and government of the people , by the people and for the people shall perish from the earth , '' Biery wrote .
The 5th Circuit immediately put Biery 's order on hold pending an appeal by the Texas attorney general 's office and issued an opinion in June signaling that the court was very likely to reverse Biery altogether .
Judge Jerry Smith , who was on the three-judge panel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the time that Biery 's decision `` will be remembered more for audacity than legal reasoning . ''
`` [ T ] he spread of the Virus has not given 'unelected federal jud [ ges ] ' a roving commission to rewrite state election codes , '' Smith wrote .

WASHINGTON — Texas can impose age-based restrictions on who can vote by mail during the coronavirus pandemic, a federal appeals court ruled this week.
Under Texas law, all eligible voters over the age of 65 are allowed to vote by mail. For Texans under 65, however, they can only get a mail-in ballot if they'll be absent from their county on Election Day, are in jail, or if they have a "qualifying disability" that prevents them from voting in person — and Texas has said that fear of contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, doesn't count.
In a 2–1 decision on Thursday, the US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit sided with Texas. Judge Leslie Southwick wrote for the majority that giving older voters a privilege — the right to vote by mail without having to meet any special conditions — didn't hurt the voting rights of voters under 65. The pandemic didn't change the analysis, Southwick wrote, since younger voters with an underlying health problem that put them at higher risk could still ask for a mail-in ballot.
"The record indicates Texas is taking the kinds of precautions for voting that are being used in other endeavors during the pandemic. None of them guarantees protection. There are quite reasonable concerns about voting in person, but the state’s mandating that many voters continue to vote in that way does not amount to an absolute prohibition of the right to vote," Southwick wrote.
Judge Carl Stewart dissented, writing that the pandemic did affect whether Texas's vote-by-mail rules violated the 26th Amendment of the US Constitution, which states that voting rights "shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age." Given the risks of in-person contact right now, he wrote, Texans who aren't allowed to vote by mail "have less opportunity to participate than others."
Texas's law "fails to treat members of the electorate equally with regard to mail-in voting. This unequal treatment is discriminatory in normal times and dangerous in the time of a global pandemic," Stewart wrote.
The Texas Democratic Party, one of the groups that brought the lawsuit, said in a statement that they would continue to fight the case now that the 5th Circuit had sent it back down to a federal district judge in San Antonio. Although the appeals court ruled that the state's law didn't violate the 26th Amendment, it did not decide if it violated the Constitution's equal protection guarantees.
"The Texas Democratic Party will continue to fight in the district court for every Texan to have an equal right to vote, regardless of their age," Texas Democratic Party chair Gilberto Hinojosa said in the statement.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, said in a statement that he commended "the court for concluding that Texas’s decision to allow elderly voters to vote by mail does not violate the 26th Amendment" and said his office "will continue to protect the integrity of Texas elections and uphold the rule of law."
US District Judge Fred Biery had originally ruled against Texas in May. He issued a preliminary injunction ordering the state to provide absentee ballots to any eligible voter who asked for one citing the pandemic — lack of immunity to COVID-19 was "indeed a physical condition," he wrote, and "[o]ne's right to vote should not be elusively based on the whims of nature."
Biery had harsh words for Texas at the time. Alluding to the Declaration of Independence, he wrote that Americans asking to vote by mail during the pandemic were seeking "Life without fear of pandemic, Liberty to choose their leaders in an environment free of disease and the pursuit of Happiness without undue restrictions."
"For want of a vote, our democracy and the Republic would be lost and government of the people, by the people and for the people shall perish from the earth," Biery wrote.
The 5th Circuit immediately put Biery's order on hold pending an appeal by the Texas attorney general's office and issued an opinion in June signaling that the court was very likely to reverse Biery altogether.
Judge Jerry Smith, who was on the three-judge panel that granted the stay, wrote at the time that Biery's decision "will be remembered more for audacity than legal reasoning."
"[T]he spread of the Virus has not given 'unelected federal jud[ges]' a roving commission to rewrite state election codes," Smith wrote.


buzzfeed--2020-09-11--Peter Thiel Met With The Racist Fringe As He Went All In On Trump

The venture capitalist and Facebook board member staked his reputation on a Trump presidency .
Now what does he have to show for it ?
Four years ago , billionaire venture capitalist and Facebook board member Peter Thiel made one of his biggest bets : He went all in on Donald Trump .
The normally tight-lipped and enigmatic Thiel gave a very public imprimatur as a prominent speaker at the Republican convention , tying his reputation as one of the most successful figures in modern tech to a presidential candidate despised throughout Silicon Valley .
“ Tonight , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the convention , “ I urge all of my fellow Americans to stand up and vote for Donald Trump.
” He made history as the convention 's first speaker to declare himself `` proud to be gay '' and he extolled Trump not as “ a return to the past ” but rather a return to “ that bright future.
” Thiel was used to making risky bets .
He was a startup veteran , a PayPal cofounder who wrote Facebook a check for $ 500,000 months after it launched .
But Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanted in on that round .
Still , just a week after the Access Hollywood tape leaked of Trump boasting about sexually assaulting women — a clip that sent other prominent Republicans fleeing — Thiel ponied up $ 1.25 million .
The donation was well known .
But what has not been previously reported is just how much Thiel was willing to gamble on Trump ’ s MAGA movement during the 2016 election .
His bet went far beyond money , speeches , or even mainstream Republican politics .
Even as Thiel staked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he met in private with the racist fringe that felt emboldened by Trump ’ s rise to power .
BuzzFeed News can reveal that in at least one instance during the summer of 2016 , Thiel hosted a dinner with one of the most influential and vocal white nationalists in modern-day America — a man who has called for the creation of a white ethnostate and played a key role in an effort to mainstream white nationalism as the “ alt-right.
” And then Thiel emailed the next day to say how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Among those on the racist right , Thiel ’ s outreach raised hopes that his financial bet on Trump would extend into the ascendant alt-right movement , which despite its prominence was a collection of small and often cash-strapped organizations .
One avowed white nationalist privately speculated that Thiel ’ s money and influence could have made him “ our George Soros.
” Thiel ’ s wager on Trump paid off , at least at first , and the Republican candidate ’ s victory ushered him into a new echelon of political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new administration and won a direct line of communication with the White House .
Palantir , the data analytics company he cofounded , is flush with government contracts and rushing to go public ahead of the November election .
Facebook , where he is a board member , counts the Trump campaign as one of its largest political advertisers , and partly avoided the ire that peers such as Google and Twitter have faced from the administration .
The people Thiel helped elevate in government now oversee billion-dollar budgets and national security decisions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still remain in positions of power in the administration and he ’ s maintained fleeting contact with Trump officials , the Silicon Valley magnate has distanced himself from the president and his 2020 campaign , according to sources who spoke with BuzzFeed News .
He has made no media appearances or penned any opinion pieces in support of Trump , as he did in 2016 .
More tellingly , he ’ s given no money so far to the president ’ s effort to retain the White House .
Although Thiel has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , his write-down on a presidential investment during an election year is due in part to the administration ’ s disastrous response to the coronavirus .
As the economy tanked and millions got sick , Thiel became furious , as first reported by the Daily Beast .
Two people close to Thiel have confirmed that the pandemic was a breaking point for the technocrat , who once hoped electing a political outsider would disrupt bureaucracy and bring about radical change and innovation in government .
Asked about Thiel ’ s lack of involvement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ It ’ s no secret that Peter Thiel has been a long and dedicated supporter of the president and the many policy achievements the Trump administration has made on behalf of the American people.
” If you have more information or a tip regarding white nationalism and tech and political institutions , contact rosie.gray @ buzzfeed.com and ryan.mac @ buzzfeed.com , or reach us securely at tips.buzzfeed.com .
Thiel ’ s personal victories over the last four years came with risks that are only now becoming apparent .
He was able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political power , but his efforts also brought him into contact with the darkest elements of that power , and to an administration whose competence he doubts .
Thiel ’ s bet worked until it didn ’ t .
He has now decamped from Silicon Valley , where he was no longer welcome in some tech circles , for Los Angeles , where he lives with his family .
BuzzFeed News sent a detailed request for comment this week to a representative for Thiel .
Thiel did not respond .
Facebook and Palantir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s interactions with the white nationalist far right .
Thiel ’ s friends say the famed venture capitalist viewed the Trump campaign as he would a Silicon Valley startup : It was an investment , two people told BuzzFeed News .
By the spring of 2016 , Thiel considered Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton presidential nonstarters , both because of their politics and their already-established networks of power .
But over on the Republican side , Trump was showing a surprising durability among voters , even as the party establishment made an all-out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an opportunity for Thiel “ to get in on the ground floor , ” a friend of Thiel ’ s previously told BuzzFeed News .
A longtime libertarian who dabbled in eccentric ideas like seasteading — artificial island communities in international waters far from governmental jurisdiction — and life extension , Thiel had made occasional forays into mainstream politics .
Thiel had given millions to presidential longshots like Carly Fiorina and Ron Paul .
He was also an early supporter of Ted Cruz , helping him first win attorney general and then US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican Josh Hawley , whom he supported for state attorney general before he became senator , Thiel found a fellow enemy of Google .
But Trump was different .
By the spring of 2016 , Thiel was telling those in his close circles that he thought the reality television star had a better shot of winning than people thought , a belief that was fortified when Thiel ’ s former favorite , Cruz , dropped out in May .
The investor was named a California RNC delegate for Trump and met the candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in person in Cleveland ahead of the convention in July .
On paper , there was little in common between the candidate and Thiel beyond their places on the Forbes Billionaires list .
But Thiel was intrigued by Trump ’ s outsider appeal , his supposed non-establishment quality that might shake up what the investor saw as a staid and bloated bureaucracy .
And there were personal motivations , said one person who was close to Thiel at the time .
That person said the billionaire saw his support of Trump as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ avoiding scrutiny .
Because he owned chunks of Facebook and the still-private Palantir , Thiel ’ s stock sales could trigger concerns from the market that all was not well with the companies .
A Trump win and a potential administration appointment for Thiel , the thinking went , could allow him to sell his stakes and possibly avoid capital gains taxes without damaging the reputation of the companies and triggering a follow-along sell-off from other investors .
In May 2016 , after he turned down an offer to appear on Breitbart News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thiel invited the provocateur to have dinner at his home in Hollywood Hills the following month .
Yiannopoulos has largely been shunned from the right since BuzzFeed News published footage of him performing a Nazi salute and a conservative news outlet posted video of him appearing to endorse pedophilia .
But correspondence during the height of Yiannopoulos ’ s popularity previously obtained by BuzzFeed News suggests Thiel ’ s libertarianism might be something darker .
“ He ’ s fully enlightened , just plays it very carefully , ” Curtis Yarvin , better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote about Thiel in an email to Yiannopoulous in late 2016 , as BuzzFeed News previously reported .
Yarvin , a software developer who counts Thiel as an investor in his former company Tlon , used his writings to advance an anti-democratic worldview that helped form the basis of the “ Dark Enlightenment ” movement , which posits that democracy has outlived its usefulness and that governments should instead be led by authoritarian figures .
Newly uncovered emails seen by BuzzFeed News show white nationalist leaders were chattering about plans with Thiel in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 , Peter Brimelow , the founder of leading white supremacist website VDare , emailed his star writer Kevin DeAnna to chastise him for freelancing for other outlets .
Brimelow , who later asserted that “ Hispanics do specialize in rape , particularly of children , ” also wanted to know : Why hadn ’ t his writer kept him updated on an upcoming meeting with Thiel ?
“ I am fed up with being surprised about e.g .
this meeting with the Right Stuff , Ann Coulter , Thiel etc.
, ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lydia Brimelow , copied on the message .
“ You are being paid in part to keep me abreast of Alt Right developments and you ’ re not doing it.
” The Right Stuff is a white nationalist website and message board founded by the activist Mike “ Enoch ” Peinovich , which hosts podcasts named Daily Shoah and Fash the Nation — references to the Holocaust and fascism , respectively .
DeAnna , an influential white nationalist who pens pieces for VDare and has written many pieces for other prominent publications in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , under the pseudonyms “ James Kirkpatrick ” and “ Gregory Hood , ” wrote back the next day defending himself .
“ Not sure why I ’ m getting in trouble for the Thiel thing , ” he wrote , adding that he had told Lydia Brimelow about the event , which he had heard about from an individual named “ Greg.
” “ And she ’ s the only person I ’ ve told as it is totally secret .
I thought you ’ d be happy about that.
” Coulter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s and conservative hardliner — Peinovich , and Brimelow did not respond to requests for comment .
On July 30 , 2016 , Thiel opened up his email to exchange pleasantries with guests from his dinner party the previous night .
As a renowned business leader , he was accustomed to hosting salon-style meals that brought together executives , intellectuals , and just about anyone else he found interesting .
The dinner that Friday night was a little different .
Termed the “ Right Wing Dinner Squad , III ” in an email @ @ @ @ @ @ @ featured an individual that the billionaire , despite his flair for controversy , has never associated with publicly .
“ Kevin — really enjoyed meeting you last night , ” Thiel wrote from an email address associated with his personal investment fund , Thiel Capital .
“ I may be in DC towards the end of September , and let me know [ if you ] make it to SF anytime !
” DeAnna , though not a household name , had by that time been involved in far-right politics for close to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ key role in channeling white nationalist ideology into the emerging alt-right .
After graduating from the College of William and Mary in Virginia , DeAnna joined the conservative Leadership Institute , and founded Youth for Western Civilization in 2006 .
The group , designed to be a more radical version of established conservative campus groups , was a launching pad for a new generation of white power activists .
YWC boosted the profile of Richard Spencer , the white nationalist leader , by inviting him to speak on two campuses in 2010 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the creation of an ethnostate “ the great dream of the White Republic.
” DeAnna did not respond to questions from BuzzFeed News .
DeAnna also served as a Trump evangelist in his community .
He was among the voices on the fringe who exhorted their peers to get on board with Trump and work within the system instead of marginalizing themselves outside it .
For Spencer ’ s website Radix Journal , DeAnna wrote in 2015 urging support for Trump , even though some in the movement were wary of conventional politics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is a sideshow , ” DeAnna wrote .
“ Real change will occur by building our own institutions , markets , and tribes , and fomenting revolutionary consciousness among the forgotten men of our Hollow Empire .
But electoral politics will affect us , even if we try our best to ignore it and remain independent of it.
” DeAnna ’ s email with Thiel was prompted by Brendan Kissam , a former Tea Party activist from Philadelphia .
Kissam met Thiel in 2010 when he volunteered to help organize a fundraiser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apartment for the gay Republican group GOProud .
According to a source who had spoken with Kissam , the activist and Thiel kept in touch after the fundraiser ; in January 2011 , a user identifying themselves as “ Brendan Kissam ” commented on a critical post about Thiel on LGBTQ website Queerty , defending the article ’ s subject and referring to him as “ Peter.
” Kissam was quoted in a June 2016 Philadelphia Inquirer story about gay Republicans voting for Trump , identified by the paper as a supporter of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Kissam appeared in videos for VDare under the pseudonym Wilson Hewlett , two sources familiar said ; photographs and videos of Kissam identifying him under his own name appear to show the same person presented as Hewlett on VDare ’ s videos .
Kissam did not respond to requests for comment .
On the morning of July 30 , 2016 , Kissam wrote to Thiel and DeAnna in the email with subject line “ Right Wing Dinner Squad III ” : “ Howdy Peter and Kevin , I ’ d been looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and last night proved fantastic !
I ’ m sure you two will [ have ] plenty strategy to bounce back and forth , and I look forward to hearing about it.
” Thiel wrote to DeAnna later that day , and DeAnna responded the following day : “ It was a real honor meeting you and thanks for hosting all of us ( and putting up with all of us staying so late ) .
” It is unclear who else DeAnna was referring to by mentioning “ all of us.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ at their July 2016 dinner also remains a mystery .
But Thiel ’ s dinner coincided with the apex of the alt-right movement ’ s influence in mainstream political discourse .
That summer , Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton gave an entire speech about the alt-right , elevating the movement into a central issue in the last months of the campaign and linking them to her opponent through Steve Bannon , Trump ’ s then–campaign CEO and former chair of Breitbart News .
Days earlier , the Republican convention to formally nominate Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emboldened white nationalists to demonstrate their influence , and they converged on Cleveland .
Spencer came to town , as did Brimelow and notorious far-right troll Charles C. “ Chuck ” Johnson , who was spotted in the convention hall .
Johnson has stated that he doesn ’ t believe that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust and claimed that the Nazi gas chambers were not real .
“ It ’ s amazing , ” Spencer said on the night of a “ Gays for Trump ” party thrown near the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoke .
“ We ’ ve taken over the right.
” The party ’ s attendees reportedly also included Thiel ’ s associate Jeff Giesea , a fellow Stanford graduate and former employee at Thiel ’ s hedge fund Thiel Capital Management who was becoming increasingly connected in far-right circles .
Giesea reportedly gave $ 5,000 to Spencer ’ s organization and published a pseudonymous guide to donating to alt-right groups .
( Giesea previously told HuffPost that he did not write the guide . )
Giesea declined to comment for this story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a $ 1.25 million donation in October and a speech that month at Washington , DC ’ s National Press Club .
In that talk , he defended his choice to back the nominee even in spite of the recent release of the explosive Access Hollywood tape .
“ No matter what happens in this election , what Trump represents isn ’ t crazy and it ’ s not going away , ” he said .
Although Thiel was denounced by large swaths of Silicon Valley for his support of Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executive suites and boardrooms .
At Facebook , employees raised concerns that their board member was campaigning for an openly racist candidate who had glorified grabbing women ’ s genitals .
In response , CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a note to employees the month before the election saying that “ there are many reasons a person might support Trump that do not involve racism , sexism , xenophobia , or accepting sexual assault.
” “ We can ’ t create a culture that says it cares about diversity and then excludes almost half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate , ” Zuckerberg wrote .
Later that month , however , Facebook employees raised more concerns about Thiel after news reports resurfaced comments on race and sexual assault from a book he coauthored in 1995 .
While Thiel went on to apologize for calling some rapes “ seductions that are later regretted ” — after pressure from Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg , according to two sources — he remained on the board .
“ Mark is very loyal to folks , ” said one former Facebook executive .
“ Peter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s invested in the company from the beginning and he ’ s been on the board a very long time.
” Trump ’ s surprise electoral victory would make Thiel even more indispensable to Facebook and Zuckerberg , giving the social network a line into the White House .
It also proved another notch in Thiel ’ s belt , boosting his contrarian credentials and elevating him into the mainstream consciousness .
That January , Thiel joined Trump ’ s executive transition team , helping to vet and appoint members for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Palantir and his family office Thiel Capital .
In that position — where he was dubbed the “ shadow president ” by his employees — Thiel worked to place his own allies in positions on the National Security Council , the Department of Defense , and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy , where his former chief of staff Michael Kratsios now serves as US chief technology officer .
Another associate , Jim O ’ Neill , who served as managing director at Thiel ’ s venture capital firm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ final candidate to run the Food and Drug Administration despite having no medical degree .
While O ’ Neill ’ s quest for the job ultimately failed , Forbes reported that Chuck Johnson had helped to arrange meetings for him with conservative influencers and political groups in an attempt to build interest in his nomination .
Johnson recommended a dozen other names to Thiel for other government positions , according to Forbes , including Ajit Pai , the current chair of the Federal Communications Commission .
`` Chairman Pai has no relationship with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they have ever met or spoken , '' FCC spokesperson Brian Hart said in a statement to BuzzFeed News .
Chuck Johnson and O ’ Neill did not respond to requests for comment .
Thiel also met with government bureaucrats , including those who had the potential to benefit Palantir and Facebook .
In January 2017 , he met with Francis Collins , the director of the National Institutes of Health , who was appointed by Barack Obama in 2009 and ultimately continued his role under Trump .
Their conversation , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Granato and shared with BuzzFeed News , showed they talked about ways to “ liberate ” young scientists from training in postdoc programs and philanthropic-funded research .
They also discussed Palantir , a company in which Thiel is the largest individual shareholder and serves as chairman .
“ I am looking forward to learning more about Palantir ’ s current areas of interest , ” Collins wrote on Jan. 12 in an email thanking Thiel for the meeting .
In September 2018 , NIH signed a $ 7 million contract with the Thiel-chaired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its software to aid in its response to the coronavirus pandemic .
According to a recently filed business prospectus , the majority of Palantir ’ s revenue for the first six months of this year came from government contracts .
An NIH spokesperson did not return an emailed request for comment .
By the inauguration , Thiel ’ s standing with the new administration was undeniable .
Weeks before he took office , Trump called Thiel a “ very special guy ” while grasping his hand during a media op at Manhattan ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Facebook , Amazon , Apple , and Google .
They had all been summoned by the transition team and Thiel , Trump ’ s link to the nation ’ s new center of industry .
“ He got just about the biggest applause at the Republican National Convention , ” Trump said of Thiel .
“ He ’ s ahead of the curve , and I want to thank him.
” Those weeks of political victory for Thiel coincided with a public reckoning for the alt-right , which had sought to portray @ @ @ @ @ @ @ iteration of white nationalism .
Richard Spencer was caught in November shouting “ Heil Trump ” while others performed Nazi salutes at an event hosted by Spencer ’ s think tank .
The incident caused a bitter row in alt-right circles and drew unwanted attention to the dark underbelly of the movement .
As the alt-right splintered at the start of Trump ’ s presidency , Thiel appeared at the DeploraBall , a party at the National Press Club in Washington that was organized by Giesea and right-wing blogger Mike Cernovich .
Timed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event , which banned Spencer , was seen as a coming-out party for the nationalist far right .
Spencer ’ s banishment and Thiel ’ s presence indicated a new mainstream taking shape on the right .
While the more radical elements of the movement became marginalized , the DeploraBall crowd was still able to attract a high profile Trump donor like Thiel .
Thiel again met with people adjacent to the white nationalist fringe in the first year of the Trump presidency , according to two sources with knowledge of the event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dinner organized by Giesea at a restaurant in downtown Washington , DC , with a number of figures from right-wing circles , among them Scott Greer , a now-former Daily Caller writer who wrote under a pseudonym for Spencer ’ s Radix Journal , and Darren Beattie , a former White House speechwriter who in 2016 spoke at the H.L .
Mencken Club , a conference that has often provided a forum for white nationalists .
Greer and Beattie did not respond to requests for comment .
Through the first months of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not take any administration position , continued to make himself available to the White House .
He appeared at a June meeting for the newly formed American Technology Council that was attended by Apple CEO Tim Cook , Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos , Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella , and Oracle co-CEO Safra Catz .
That month , he was also approached for a role as chair of the President ’ s Intelligence Advisory Board , an influential oversight position in the intelligence community , but turned it down .
The bridge Thiel built @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shattered by Trump ’ s defense of white nationalists following the events in Charlottesville , Virginia in August 2017 .
After the president blamed violence on “ both sides ” following the killing of a 32-year-old counterprotester , tech giants including Apple , IBM , and Microsoft distanced themselves from the council , which was ultimately disbanded in embarrassment by the administration .
Meanwhile , Thiel sought to extend his influence in more traditional conservative circles .
As BuzzFeed News previously reported , he explored the possibility of building a media outlet in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , disgraced godfather of Fox News , and , separately , with the billionaire Mercer Family , the former patrons of Breitbart News .
And though that never came to fruition , the man who bankrupted Gawker Media via a series of clandestinely bankrolled lawsuits continued his interest in media .
Facebook also benefited from Thiel ’ s links to the Trump administration .
As the social network fought off unfounded allegations of bias against conservatives , Thiel became the ultimate buffer : a conservative bulwark on the board who was trotted out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complained about alleged censorship .
And while Thiel had sold off the bulk of Facebook shares and has wanted to leave the board , according to two sources , he has remained , in part due to his loyalty to Zuckerberg .
That ’ s proved useful to both the White House and Facebook .
Thiel accompanied Zuckerberg at a secret dinner at the White House with Trump and Jared Kushner last October , one stop in their tour of Washington , DC , to stave off scrutiny and the possibility of antitrust @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the biggest internal opponents of fact-checking political ads on Facebook , according to the Wall Street Journal , a controversial policy that has allowed politicians like Trump , one of Facebook ’ s largest customers , to present outright falsehoods on the social network as long as they ’ re paid for .
Palantir , Thiel ’ s main financial holding , has thrived during Trump ’ s three and a half years in office , with revenue growing by 49 % in the first six months of 2020 to more than $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last year .
Led by CEO Alex Karp , who once said “ it would be hard to make up someone I find less appealing ” than Trump , the big data company has signed contracts with federal agencies whose ranks were staffed with people vetted by Thiel and his associates during the transition .
In 2019 , it won a Pentagon contract worth up to $ 800 million , while also providing software to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement .
Those deals have bolstered the firm ’ s bottom line as it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 2020 .
Those close to Thiel said he believes this is the window for the company , which has never had an annual profit , to hit the market .
A Biden presidency could change the company ’ s momentum , and with Trump in office , Palantir has become a formidable DC contractor , said two sources familiar with the billionaire ’ s thinking .
Palantir spokesperson Lisa Gordon declined to comment for this story citing the Security and Exchange Commission ’ s mandated quiet period ahead of the company ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few years have also seen Thiel retreat from the hothouse of Silicon Valley .
Calling the region ’ s liberalism too intolerant , he loudly disassociated himself from the nation ’ s tech capital .
He ceded some management duties of his famed venture capital outfit Founders Fund to a lieutenant and relocated permanently to his multimillion-dollar home in the Hollywood Hills .
( Palantir has also said it ’ s moving from Palo Alto to Denver . )
Thiel also started a family .
After marrying longtime boyfriend Matt Danzeisen in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the two had a baby daughter , according to those close to the couple .
The changes in his life , however , haven ’ t distracted him from politics .
People connected to him still remain in positions of power , among them Kratsios , who in July was appointed to a Department of Defense job where he ’ ll oversee a $ 60 billion Pentagon budget .
Thiel ’ s ideas continue to find their way into policies .
He pushed for the Trump administration to ramp up its trade war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wall Street Journal , accompanied Zuckerberg to a White House dinner with Trump and Jared Kushner , where the Facebook CEO raised concerns about rival TikTok .
( Zuckerberg has since told employees that he doesn ’ t think TikTok came up as a discussion topic at the meal . )
Thiel ’ s line of thinking that American companies doing business in China amounts to providing technology to the Chinese Communist Party has also been parroted by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo .
This January , ahead of a speech at Stanford @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for its human rights abuses , he met privately with Thiel , according to two people familiar with the event .
The State Department did not respond to a request for comment about the meeting .
Yet Thiel has been noticeably quiet on Trump as the election approaches , even as he has supported other candidates .
Thiel put close to a million dollars behind hard-right anti-immigration advocate Kris Kobach in the Republican primary for Kansas ’ s open Senate seat , which he lost .
Blake Masters , the chief operating officer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thiel Capital , also flirted with the idea of running to unseat Republican Sen. Martha McSally , but ultimately decided against the move , according to the Arizona Republic .
Masters did not respond to requests for comment .
Beyond the Kansas race , in which he gave $ 850,000 to a super PAC supporting Kobach , Thiel hasn ’ t publicly thrown his money behind any other candidate this cycle — Trump included .
Those close to Thiel say he is upset with how the administration handled the response to the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president is fraying .
Two months before Election Day , Thiel still shows no signs of getting involved .
Instead , he ’ s focusing on Palantir , which unveiled its S-1 financial statement — one of the first steps in going public — late last month .
While Thiel has said very little about Palantir , the company ’ s CEO , Alex Karp , attacked Silicon Valley ’ s “ engineering elite ” and issued a vehement defense of Palantir ’ s work with government agencies in the document .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know more than most about building software .
But they do not know more about how society should be organized or what justice requires , ” Karp wrote in the business filing .
“ Our company was founded in Silicon Valley .
But we seem to share fewer and fewer of the technology sector ’ s values and commitments.
” Thiel and his company ’ s distancing from the tech establishment mirrors his step back from the Trump campaign .
And in the end , he never did emerge as the benefactor the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from this April viewed by BuzzFeed News , Greg Johnson , the publisher of white nationalist website Counter-Currents and author of The White Nationalist Manifesto , was still fuming over the “ Heilgate ” incident and blamed Richard Spencer and others for making the movement too toxic for big donors like Thiel .
Johnson , who said he never met Thiel , didn ’ t deny the email ’ s accuracy to BuzzFeed News , but said he was just speaking of Thiel in a general sense of “ serious ” people with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think tank National Policy Institute were “ being eyed for larger donations , but he blew it .
A lot was possible in 2016 , before Hailgate , ” Johnson wrote to other alt-right leaders .
“ I do n't think Peter Thiel is going to become our George Soros after all this , ” Johnson continued .
“ There is simply no calculating the setbacks caused by these kooky and treasonous people.
” ●

Four years ago, billionaire venture capitalist and Facebook board member Peter Thiel made one of his biggest bets: He went all in on Donald Trump. The normally tight-lipped and enigmatic Thiel gave a very public imprimatur as a prominent speaker at the Republican convention, tying his reputation as one of the most successful figures in modern tech to a presidential candidate despised throughout Silicon Valley.
“Tonight,” he said in a nationally televised address at the convention, “I urge all of my fellow Americans to stand up and vote for Donald Trump.” He made history as the convention's first speaker to declare himself "proud to be gay" and he extolled Trump not as “a return to the past” but rather a return to “that bright future.”
Thiel was used to making risky bets. He was a startup veteran, a PayPal cofounder who wrote Facebook a check for $500,000 months after it launched. But Trump was different. Few in Silicon Valley wanted in on that round. Still, just a week after the Access Hollywood tape leaked of Trump boasting about sexually assaulting women — a clip that sent other prominent Republicans fleeing — Thiel ponied up $1.25 million.
The donation was well known. But what has not been previously reported is just how much Thiel was willing to gamble on Trump’s MAGA movement during the 2016 election. His bet went far beyond money, speeches, or even mainstream Republican politics. Even as Thiel staked his reputation on the candidate in public, he met in private with the racist fringe that felt emboldened by Trump’s rise to power.
BuzzFeed News can reveal that in at least one instance during the summer of 2016, Thiel hosted a dinner with one of the most influential and vocal white nationalists in modern-day America — a man who has called for the creation of a white ethnostate and played a key role in an effort to mainstream white nationalism as the “alt-right.” And then Thiel emailed the next day to say how much he’d enjoyed his company.
Among those on the racist right, Thiel’s outreach raised hopes that his financial bet on Trump would extend into the ascendant alt-right movement, which despite its prominence was a collection of small and often cash-strapped organizations. One avowed white nationalist privately speculated that Thiel’s money and influence could have made him “our George Soros.”
Thiel’s wager on Trump paid off, at least at first, and the Republican candidate’s victory ushered him into a new echelon of political power. Thiel seeded allies throughout the new administration and won a direct line of communication with the White House.
Palantir, the data analytics company he cofounded, is flush with government contracts and rushing to go public ahead of the November election. Facebook, where he is a board member, counts the Trump campaign as one of its largest political advertisers, and partly avoided the ire that peers such as Google and Twitter have faced from the administration. The people Thiel helped elevate in government now oversee billion-dollar budgets and national security decisions.
But while Thiel’s associates still remain in positions of power in the administration and he’s maintained fleeting contact with Trump officials, the Silicon Valley magnate has distanced himself from the president and his 2020 campaign, according to sources who spoke with BuzzFeed News. He has made no media appearances or penned any opinion pieces in support of Trump, as he did in 2016. More tellingly, he’s given no money so far to the president’s effort to retain the White House.
Although Thiel has been moving away from Trump for years now, his write-down on a presidential investment during an election year is due in part to the administration’s disastrous response to the coronavirus. As the economy tanked and millions got sick, Thiel became furious, as first reported by the Daily Beast. Two people close to Thiel have confirmed that the pandemic was a breaking point for the technocrat, who once hoped electing a political outsider would disrupt bureaucracy and bring about radical change and innovation in government.
Asked about Thiel’s lack of involvement, a senior White House official said, “It’s no secret that Peter Thiel has been a long and dedicated supporter of the president and the many policy achievements the Trump administration has made on behalf of the American people.”
If you have more information or a tip regarding white nationalism and tech and political institutions, contact rosie.gray@buzzfeed.com and ryan.mac@buzzfeed.com, or reach us securely at tips.buzzfeed.com.
Thiel’s personal victories over the last four years came with risks that are only now becoming apparent. He was able to get in early on a rising political power, but his efforts also brought him into contact with the darkest elements of that power, and to an administration whose competence he doubts. Thiel’s bet worked until it didn’t. He has now decamped from Silicon Valley, where he was no longer welcome in some tech circles, for Los Angeles, where he lives with his family.
BuzzFeed News sent a detailed request for comment this week to a representative for Thiel. Thiel did not respond.
Facebook and Palantir both declined to comment on Thiel’s interactions with the white nationalist far right.


buzzfeed--2020-09-11--GOP Senate Nominee Jason Lewis Founded A Social Network Where People Promoted A Pro-Hitler Documenta

GOP Senate Nominee Jason Lewis Founded A Social Network Where People Promoted A Pro-Hitler Documentary

Galt let its community decide what was most important to them .
This is what they chose .
A members-only social media network founded in 2013 by former representative Jason Lewis , the current Republican nominee for Senate in Minnesota , hosted message boards that promoted a pro-Hitler documentary , called for migrants to be put in camps , and raised money for an ad campaign that paid Lewis and his business partners .
In 2014 , Lewis sat down with Fox Business host John Stossel to promote the network , which he called Galt.io , after the hero of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still a talk radio host , explained that Galt.io would be a closed community whose members could invest using a digital currency earned with their participation or bought with real money .
The Galtcoins functioned like Reddit upvotes , signaling which topics people cared the most about as they invested into “ causes ” or “ missions.
” “ We ’ re not going to tell people what causes are going to win , ” Lewis told Stossel .
“ That ’ s going to be a function of the marketplace .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what people are interested in is going to be determined on Galt.io.
” According to archives and screenshots , what people on Galt were interested in was doubting climate change , scapegoating immigrants , and promoting a pro-Hitler documentary that denied the Holocaust .
Lewis stepped away from the site in 2015 and Galt.io went offline in the summer of 2020 .
Lewis left his talk radio job in 2014 to devote himself to the site , which he cofounded with financial strategist Kurt Lieberman and entrepreneur Alex Huff .
In the code @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ a secret society ” and evoked the movie Fight Club saying , “ First Rule of Galt.io : Do not talk about what goes on in Galt !
” Lewis claimed to have raised $ 590,000 for Galt , a number that could not be verified .
Records filed with the House of Representatives in 2016 show he defaulted on a $ 25,000 loan to the company and transferred ownership of the site to undisclosed parties .
During his time running it , Lewis touted the site 's popularity , saying in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 12.8 million pageviews in 2014 .
That number couldn ’ t be independently verified , but the Facebook page for Galt.io has just over 1,000 likes and little activity .
Despite the lack of clarity , a review of Galt.io 's archive and screenshots revealed deeply troubling material .
“ Blaming Jason Lewis for comments made by others on a public website is akin to blaming Mark Zuckerberg for everything that ’ s said on Facebook , even less so when you consider Jason Lewis has had no involvement with this website for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , communications director for the Lewis campaign , told BuzzFeed News .
She added , “ the Minnesota Senate race has been ranked a toss-up and Jason Lewis is statistically tied in numerous polls , so right on cue , Democrat-aligned Buzzfeed trots out a boring and pathetic hit job in an attempt to distract from Tina Smith ’ s full-on embrace of radical positions like her affinity for the defund the police movement.
” Lewis has a history of controversial comments and views of his own , including comparing gay people to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harmed by having gay parents .
But the content that his site hosted was even more extreme .
Among the causes people on Galt.io promoted was a six-hour pro-Hitler documentary , which BuzzFeed News is choosing not to name , that denies the Holocaust .
BuzzFeed News could not determine when this post was made .
“ To understand the dangers in the world at this time , just watch this film , ” the poster said .
“ One can see the facts , indisputable facts , of what happened before , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's no evidence that the documentary raised any money or attracted attention .
But another discussion topic certainly did .
A group called De-Migrantize Zone was started in 2018 after President Donald Trump seized on news of people from South America traveling to the US border .
On Galt.io , people condemned those migrants , with one person saying they should be placed in camps .
“ When the DMZ base camp has been secured at location , move to mobilize and capture as many of the invaders as possible by encircling them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their future destinations , ” wrote a person with the username Scarecrow .
The anti-migrant post was made after Lewis gave up ownership of the site .
But he seemed to know the person who created the post .
In an earlier comment to members about a real-life meetup at a Minnesota pizza shop while he was active , Lewis thanked Scarecrow and a few other members “ for doing the legwork.
” In another post , Lewis started a topic called Save Our Streets , where he criticized the anti-NRA stance of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Isla Vista massacre , in which Elliot Rodger killed six people .
“ What is the complete and accurate history of the suspect ’ s use of psychotropic drugs , ” Lewis wrote .
“ Are anti-depressants doing more harm than good ?
I don ’ t profess to know , but they seem to be omnipresent in a modern era marked by these bizarre and dangerous outbursts .
Should we reconsider their use ?
” While on the site , Lewis used it to promote his audiobook , organize a letter-writing campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raise money for ads opposing a state gas tax , which he funneled to himself and his business partners .
That campaign appears to be the only one of the site 's fundraisers that successfully received money .
Lewis raised just over $ 6,000 , promising the money would go toward an advertising campaign .
Although the ads were produced , documents show Lewis moved the funds to himself and his associates to carry them out .
Galt.io had its own PAC , which purchased the ads , including two billboards , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Galt.io PAC was created by a firm run by Dan Backer , a DC lawyer .
But those donations ran through a complex structure : Rather than donors giving directly to the PAC , the money came from Loximity , a company started by Huff , one of the Galt cofounders , possibly to shield the identity of the donors .
Most of the PAC ’ s expenditures were tied back to entities connected to Lewis .
The largest cut , $ 2,000 , went to Lewis ’ s former employer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , $ 1,500 , went to Jon Foss Productions .
Foss runs a YouTube channel that hosts promotional videos for Lewis and Galt .
The Jason Lewis Show also received $ 500 , records show .
The hike did not pass .
Lewis departed the company soon after , winning a seat in the House in the 2016 election , which he lost two years later .
“ For the last couple of years with you in Galt , I was amazed with the ideas , activity , and community that is developing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ note published on the site .
“ Although there ’ s no shortage of uninformed critics , we have created something amazing together , mostly under the radar .
It is my sincere belief that the network will be a force for liberty going forward.
” That force stayed in motion .
Since he departed , members of the site have called anti-fascist activists “ rats , ” railed against the “ deep state , ” and opposed vaccinations .
In discussions , the site 's participants mixed racism and conspiracy theories about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delusional bitch '' Hillary Clinton , with Lewis 's attempts at self-promotion .
One post read “ Is ISIS good for the jews.
” Another warned of a “ sharia invasion ” and the “ Muslims that our Globalist handlers are allowing into our country.
” Another post complained about the movie Black Panther , writing , “ I find it interesting that this movie is gushed about as a triumph of diversity when the premise of the movie is an ethnostate that wants to protect its borders from other ‘ cultures ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gee , that doesn ’ t sound diverse .
In fact richard spencer talks about the same thing and yet he is called racist and supremacist , but in this movie they are lauded .
Hypocrisy , thy name is liberal !
” Members also rallied around their love for golf .
“ The audience for the golf tournament was probably conservative , ” one member posted under the “ I love golf ” cause .
“ I doubt if there are any illegals watching and the normal lib probably can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ different numbers .
”

A members-only social media network founded in 2013 by former representative Jason Lewis, the current Republican nominee for Senate in Minnesota, hosted message boards that promoted a pro-Hitler documentary, called for migrants to be put in camps, and raised money for an ad campaign that paid Lewis and his business partners.
In 2014, Lewis sat down with Fox Business host John Stossel to promote the network, which he called Galt.io, after the hero of an Ayn Rand novel. Lewis, still a talk radio host, explained that Galt.io would be a closed community whose members could invest using a digital currency earned with their participation or bought with real money. The Galtcoins functioned like Reddit upvotes, signaling which topics people cared the most about as they invested into “causes” or “missions.”
“We’re not going to tell people what causes are going to win,” Lewis told Stossel. “That’s going to be a function of the marketplace. So once that cause is out there, what people are interested in is going to be determined on Galt.io.”
According to archives and screenshots, what people on Galt were interested in was doubting climate change, scapegoating immigrants, and promoting a pro-Hitler documentary that denied the Holocaust. Lewis stepped away from the site in 2015 and Galt.io went offline in the summer of 2020.
Lewis left his talk radio job in 2014 to devote himself to the site, which he cofounded with financial strategist Kurt Lieberman and entrepreneur Alex Huff. In the code of conduct, they compared it to “a secret society” and evoked the movie Fight Club saying, “First Rule of Galt.io: Do not talk about what goes on in Galt!”
Lewis claimed to have raised $590,000 for Galt, a number that could not be verified. Records filed with the House of Representatives in 2016 show he defaulted on a $25,000 loan to the company and transferred ownership of the site to undisclosed parties.
During his time running it, Lewis touted the site's popularity, saying in a post on Galt.io that it received 12.8 million pageviews in 2014. That number couldn’t be independently verified, but the Facebook page for Galt.io has just over 1,000 likes and little activity. Despite the lack of clarity, a review of Galt.io's archive and screenshots revealed deeply troubling material.
“Blaming Jason Lewis for comments made by others on a public website is akin to blaming Mark Zuckerberg for everything that’s said on Facebook, even less so when you consider Jason Lewis has had no involvement with this website for nearly six years," Christine Snell, communications director for the Lewis campaign, told BuzzFeed News.
She added, “the Minnesota Senate race has been ranked a toss-up and Jason Lewis is statistically tied in numerous polls, so right on cue, Democrat-aligned Buzzfeed trots out a boring and pathetic hit job in an attempt to distract from Tina Smith’s full-on embrace of radical positions like her affinity for the defund the police movement.”


buzzfeed--2020-09-11--Young Latino Voters Say The Fight For Racial Justice Is Pushing Them To Vote In November

People hold placards at the Lincoln Memorial at a protest against racism and police brutality , on August 28 , in Washington , DC .
Young Latinos are being pushed to vote in the upcoming election by the protests that have gripped the country throughout the summer over the fight for racial justice , according to new data from a national survey of Latino voters between the ages of 18 and 34 .
The survey , conducted by Telemundo and BuzzFeed News earlier this summer , also found that young Latinos are motivated by the coronavirus pandemic 's outsize influence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s renewed push for racial justice after the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor , the effects of the pandemic , and immigration reform have pushed young Latino voters to become engaged in the upcoming election , according to the survey .
The protests that have taken place across the country have become a focal point of the presidential race .
The Republican National Convention heavily featured segments against widespread demonstrations and in favor of “ law and order , ” including an address from a Missouri couple who had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after aiming guns at a group of protesters in their neighborhood .
President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden both visited Kenosha , Wisconsin , last week after protests erupted following the police shooting of Jacob Blake .
According to the survey , 55.8 % of young Latino voters said they ’ d actively participated in racial equality or Black Lives Matter movements by protesting or boycotting , and half of young Latino people said protests across the country have motivated them to vote in the upcoming election .
“ Racial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of young Latino voters , according to the survey and 57 % said reducing police brutality has pushed them to turn out for the election .
“ Racial and ethnic social equality ” was identified as the most important social or political issue for their generation by a majority of the Latino voters , with 16.6 % identifying it as the top overall issue .
The coronavirus pandemic has exposed racial inequities in how communities across the country are affected by its consequences , and it ’ s motivating Latino voters ahead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of young Latino voters “ somewhat or strongly approve ” of the president ’ s response to the pandemic , compared to 35.6 % of young non-Latino voters .
In the survey , 41.1 % of Latino voters indicated that the pandemic has strongly motivated them to vote in the upcoming election .
Part of that motivation comes from their own experiences : 13 % of Latino voters said they have worked in a high-risk job without enough protection over the course of the pandemic , compared to 11.3 % of non-Latino @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people said that they had lost their job because of the coronavirus , compared to 10.3 % of young non-Latino people .
The upcoming election has created conflicting feelings for many young Latino voters , with wide support for Biden matching a belief that Trump will ultimately win .
The survey found that 53 % of young Latino Biden supporters believe he ’ ll win the election , compared to the 52 % of young Latino Trump supporters who believe that Trump will win .
While 60 % of young Latino voters say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , recent polling has shown the former vice president lagging behind with Latinos overall compared to where Hillary Clinton was in 2016 .
A recent poll from Equis Research , which surveyed 1,081 Latinos in Florida , found that while Biden led Trump 53 % to 37 % among Latino voters , Biden was still behind where Clinton performed , according to 2016 exit polling from CNN .
Despite the Biden campaign ’ s lagging performance among Latino voters in Florida compared to Clinton ’ s 2016 performance , 75.3 % of young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poll indicated that they believe it is more important to vote in this election than the 2016 election .
The survey questioned 638 people who identified as Latino and 685 non-Latino people between the ages of 18 and 34 .
It was conducted from June 5 to June 22 .

Young Latinos are being pushed to vote in the upcoming election by the protests that have gripped the country throughout the summer over the fight for racial justice, according to new data from a national survey of Latino voters between the ages of 18 and 34.
The survey, conducted by Telemundo and BuzzFeed News earlier this summer, also found that young Latinos are motivated by the coronavirus pandemic's outsize influence on their community.
The country’s renewed push for racial justice after the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the effects of the pandemic, and immigration reform have pushed young Latino voters to become engaged in the upcoming election, according to the survey.
The protests that have taken place across the country have become a focal point of the presidential race. The Republican National Convention heavily featured segments against widespread demonstrations and in favor of “law and order,” including an address from a Missouri couple who had been charged with unlawful use of a weapon after aiming guns at a group of protesters in their neighborhood. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden both visited Kenosha, Wisconsin, last week after protests erupted following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
According to the survey, 55.8% of young Latino voters said they’d actively participated in racial equality or Black Lives Matter movements by protesting or boycotting, and half of young Latino people said protests across the country have motivated them to vote in the upcoming election. “Racial and ethnic social equality” motivates 62.7% of young Latino voters, according to the survey and 57% said reducing police brutality has pushed them to turn out for the election.
“Racial and ethnic social equality” was identified as the most important social or political issue for their generation by a majority of the Latino voters, with 16.6% identifying it as the top overall issue.
The coronavirus pandemic has exposed racial inequities in how communities across the country are affected by its consequences, and it’s motivating Latino voters ahead of the general election. Just 24.6% of young Latino voters “somewhat or strongly approve” of the president’s response to the pandemic, compared to 35.6% of young non-Latino voters.
In the survey, 41.1% of Latino voters indicated that the pandemic has strongly motivated them to vote in the upcoming election. Part of that motivation comes from their own experiences: 13% of Latino voters said they have worked in a high-risk job without enough protection over the course of the pandemic, compared to 11.3% of non-Latino voters. And 12.5% of Latino people said that they had lost their job because of the coronavirus, compared to 10.3% of young non-Latino people.
The upcoming election has created conflicting feelings for many young Latino voters, with wide support for Biden matching a belief that Trump will ultimately win. The survey found that 53% of young Latino Biden supporters believe he’ll win the election, compared to the 52% of young Latino Trump supporters who believe that Trump will win.
While 60% of young Latino voters say they are supporting Biden’s campaign, recent polling has shown the former vice president lagging behind with Latinos overall compared to where Hillary Clinton was in 2016. A recent poll from Equis Research, which surveyed 1,081 Latinos in Florida, found that while Biden led Trump 53% to 37% among Latino voters, Biden was still behind where Clinton performed, according to 2016 exit polling from CNN.
Despite the Biden campaign’s lagging performance among Latino voters in Florida compared to Clinton’s 2016 performance, 75.3% of young Latino voters surveyed in the Telemundo–BuzzFeed News poll indicated that they believe it is more important to vote in this election than the 2016 election.
The survey questioned 638 people who identified as Latino and 685 non-Latino people between the ages of 18 and 34. It was conducted from June 5 to June 22.


buzzfeed--2020-09-11--New York City Republican Leaders Are Sticking By Trump’s Plan To Defund New York City

WASHINGTON — Republican officials in New York City do not seem to have a problem with President Donald Trump ’ s new , legally questionable plan to defund their city .
The Trump administration announced plans Wednesday night to review federal funding to some cities where protests against police brutality and systemic racism have led to violence and destruction of public and private property .
As part of an ongoing rift between the administration and cities who have refused assistance from federal law enforcement , the memo would direct the budget director to issue guidance to restrict federal grants to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” possibly including Seattle , Washington , DC , Portland , and New York City .
Republicans in New York , a city that is facing an economic crisis after being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic , are sticking by Trump ’ s plan to hit the city ’ s finances even harder .
“ President Trump is sending a clear message to Bill de Blasio and New York City ’ s left-wing elected officials ; you can ’ t break federal laws with radical far left policies and squander billions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thrive NYC , then defund the NYPD with expectations that the federal government will bail you out , ” Nicole Malliotakis , a state lawmaker who is now running for Congress , told BuzzFeed News in a statement Thursday morning .
“ Federal dollars need to come with commitments and restrictions to ensure that the taxpayers ’ money is being spent on its intended purposes , ” she said .
Malliotakis , who is running against Rep. Max Rose in a district that covers Staten Island and a portion of Southern Brooklyn , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the largely Democratic New York City .
Trump won the district in 2016 , but Rose , a Democrat , unseated the district ’ s Republican member of Congress in 2018 amid a citywide shift toward the left .
Staten Island , home to many of the city ’ s law enforcement officers , remains more Republican than the rest of the city .
Trump ’ s plan , which does not outline a specific legal authority and proposes shifting spending not authorized by Congress , came under immediate attack from New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and shameful , and simply meant to fuel his base that never tire from his bigoted and dangerous policies , but New Yorkers and Americans of good conscience will reject his hateful agenda come November , ” New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams told BuzzFeed News in a statement .
“ Forget bodyguards , he better have an army if he thinks he ’ s going to walk down the streets in New York , ” Gov .
Andrew Cuomo told reporters Wednesday night .
“ Look , the best thing he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Cuomo added .
“ Good riddance , let him go to Florida , be careful not to get COVID.
” Joe Borelli , who represents Staten Island in the New York City Council , first texted “ I ’ m gunna pass ” when asked about Trump ’ s funding move .
He then compared the memo to Gov .
Andrew Cuomo threatening to strip money from state police agencies who wouldn ’ t consider reform .
“ How is this any different for New Yorkers from when Andrew Cuomo threatened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police reforms ?
” Borelli said in a text Thursday morning .
“ That was only a few weeks ago.
” Jerry Kassar , chair of the New York State Conservative Party , which is backing Trump ’ s reelection , agreed with the president ’ s decision to defund New York City because , he said , the city ’ s “ own actions drifted into lawlessness.
” Brendan Lantry , the Staten Island GOP chair , declined to respond to the question .
Staten Island Borough President Jimmy Oddo ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for comment about Trump ’ s plan .

WASHINGTON — Republican officials in New York City do not seem to have a problem with President Donald Trump’s new, legally questionable plan to defund their city.
The Trump administration announced plans Wednesday night to review federal funding to some cities where protests against police brutality and systemic racism have led to violence and destruction of public and private property. As part of an ongoing rift between the administration and cities who have refused assistance from federal law enforcement, the memo would direct the budget director to issue guidance to restrict federal grants to what Trump is calling “anarchist cities,” possibly including Seattle, Washington, DC, Portland, and New York City.
Republicans in New York, a city that is facing an economic crisis after being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, are sticking by Trump’s plan to hit the city’s finances even harder.
“President Trump is sending a clear message to Bill de Blasio and New York City’s left-wing elected officials; you can’t break federal laws with radical far left policies and squander billions in tax dollars on pet projects like Thrive NYC, then defund the NYPD with expectations that the federal government will bail you out,” Nicole Malliotakis, a state lawmaker who is now running for Congress, told BuzzFeed News in a statement Thursday morning.
“Federal dollars need to come with commitments and restrictions to ensure that the taxpayers’ money is being spent on its intended purposes,” she said.
Malliotakis, who is running against Rep. Max Rose in a district that covers Staten Island and a portion of Southern Brooklyn, is one of few Republican lawmakers in the largely Democratic New York City. Trump won the district in 2016, but Rose, a Democrat, unseated the district’s Republican member of Congress in 2018 amid a citywide shift toward the left. Staten Island, home to many of the city’s law enforcement officers, remains more Republican than the rest of the city.
Trump’s plan, which does not outline a specific legal authority and proposes shifting spending not authorized by Congress, came under immediate attack from New York Democrats.
“These actions are unconstitutional and shameful, and simply meant to fuel his base that never tire from his bigoted and dangerous policies, but New Yorkers and Americans of good conscience will reject his hateful agenda come November,” New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams told BuzzFeed News in a statement.
“Forget bodyguards, he better have an army if he thinks he’s going to walk down the streets in New York,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters Wednesday night.
“Look, the best thing he did for New York City was leave,” Cuomo added. “Good riddance, let him go to Florida, be careful not to get COVID.”
Joe Borelli, who represents Staten Island in the New York City Council, first texted “I’m gunna pass” when asked about Trump’s funding move. He then compared the memo to Gov. Andrew Cuomo threatening to strip money from state police agencies who wouldn’t consider reform.
“How is this any different for New Yorkers from when Andrew Cuomo threatened to pull funding unless cities enacted his police reforms?” Borelli said in a text Thursday morning. “That was only a few weeks ago.”
Jerry Kassar, chair of the New York State Conservative Party, which is backing Trump’s reelection, agreed with the president’s decision to defund New York City because, he said, the city’s “own actions drifted into lawlessness.”
Brendan Lantry, the Staten Island GOP chair, declined to respond to the question. Staten Island Borough President Jimmy Oddo’s office did not respond to a request for comment about Trump’s plan.


buzzfeed--2020-09-12--People Say These 19 Small, But Powerful Activities Have Really Helped Their Mood

`` Sign up to be a bone marrow donor via DKMS ( they operate in the US , UK , @ @ @ @ @ .
You sign up online , they send you a swab to your house , @ @ @ @ @ ... Knowing that you could save someone 's life from an action so small makes @ @ @ @ @ happy . ''

14.
"Sign up to be a bone marrow donor via DKMS (they operate in the US, UK, and most of Europe). You sign up online, they send you a swab to your house, and you mail it back. Knowing that you could save someone's life from an action so small makes you feel a little bit happy."


buzzfeed--2020-09-12--Charli D'Amelio Said She Has An Eating Disorder And Admitted She Was "Afraid" To Speak About It Publ

Charli D'Amelio Said She Has An Eating Disorder And Admitted She Was "Afraid" To Speak About It Publicly

`` It 's not your place to tell me if I 'm losing weight or gaining weight , '' Charli @ @ @ @ @ comments led her to delete a bikini photo from Instagram .
`` Why do n't @ @ @ @ @ and understand that we should just be kind and uplift everyone instead of trying to @ @ @ @ @ She opened up about the situation further in an interview with her family last month @ @ @ @ @ have followers , people just see you as an object `` to judge and objectify @ @ @ @ @ . ''

"For anyone that is struggling with this, I know some days can be worse than others," she wrote. "I need you to know you are not alone. Remember it's OK to reach out and get help. We all need help sometimes."


buzzfeed--2020-09-12--Peter Thiel Met With The Racist Fringe As He Went All In On Trump


buzzfeed--2020-09-12--The FBI Is Warning Scientists To Watch Out For “Suspicious” Packages

Hundreds of researchers at the University of Washington have been warned to watch out for suspicious mail after the FBI informed the school that a suspicious package was sent to coronavirus scientists elsewhere .
In a Monday email obtained by BuzzFeed News , the university cited the FBI and cautioned that “ threatening mail has been sent to COVID-19 researchers on the east coast ” containing an “ unknown substance ” that the bureau was testing to determine if it was hazardous .
The email , which was sent to about 500 researchers in the biological sciences , advised staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including any with “ oily stains , discoloration , or a strange odor.
” An FBI spokesperson confirmed that the bureau , “ along with our local law enforcement partners , responded to a suspicious package sent to a few university researchers.
” The spokesperson added that “ preliminary testing has indicated there is no threat to public safety in connection with this mailing.
” The warning comes at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has become dangerously politicized , with top scientists such as Dr. Anthony Fauci receiving death threats , conspiracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ circulating widely , people taking to the streets to protest lockdowns , and the internet deluged with reports of people reacting violently when asked to wear masks in stores and airplanes .
If you have any information about the package , or are aware of other incidents involving suspicious mail being sent to COVID-19 researchers , please contact these reporters at ken.bensinger @ buzzfeed.com or jason.leopold @ buzzfeed.com .
You can also pass information on to BuzzFeed News securely and anonymously through a variety of means by following this link .
Deadly packages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard to trace .
The Unabomber , Ted Kaczynski , mailed bombs to a variety of people including academics over a 17-year period , killing 3 and injuring more than 20 , before he was finally apprehended in 1996 .
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks , anthrax was sent through the mail , killing five and causing 17 others to get sick .
It took the FBI almost nine years to close the investigation , naming Bruce Ivins , a government scientist who killed himself before charges were filed , as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the true culprit was found .
In the current situation , the FBI declined to provide further details about the suspicious mail , including which researchers and institutions received it , whether there was a single or multiple packages , when the bureau was notified , what exactly the package or packages contained , what the motive could be , or whether a suspect had been identified .
It also declined to state whether it had contacted other universities about the risk , but said that it encourages “ the public to remain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law enforcement.
” In its Aug. 31 email to staff , the University of Washington ’ s Environmental Health and Safety department advised faculty to look out for suspicious packages , including those with “ excessive postage , ” “ excessive tape , ” “ oily stains , discoloration , or a strange odor ” or “ no return address.
” A university spokesperson said she was not aware of any employees receiving suspicious mail to date .

Hundreds of researchers at the University of Washington have been warned to watch out for suspicious mail after the FBI informed the school that a suspicious package was sent to coronavirus scientists elsewhere.
In a Monday email obtained by BuzzFeed News, the university cited the FBI and cautioned that “threatening mail has been sent to COVID-19 researchers on the east coast” containing an “unknown substance” that the bureau was testing to determine if it was hazardous. The email, which was sent to about 500 researchers in the biological sciences, advised staff to watch out for suspect packages, including any with “oily stains, discoloration, or a strange odor.”
An FBI spokesperson confirmed that the bureau, “along with our local law enforcement partners, responded to a suspicious package sent to a few university researchers.” The spokesperson added that “preliminary testing has indicated there is no threat to public safety in connection with this mailing.”
The warning comes at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has become dangerously politicized, with top scientists such as Dr. Anthony Fauci receiving death threats, conspiracy theories about the virus’s origins circulating widely, people taking to the streets to protest lockdowns, and the internet deluged with reports of people reacting violently when asked to wear masks in stores and airplanes.
If you have any information about the package, or are aware of other incidents involving suspicious mail being sent to COVID-19 researchers, please contact these reporters at ken.bensinger@buzzfeed.com or jason.leopold@buzzfeed.com. You can also pass information on to BuzzFeed News securely and anonymously through a variety of means by following this link.
Deadly packages sent through the mail can be particularly hard to trace. The Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, mailed bombs to a variety of people including academics over a 17-year period, killing 3 and injuring more than 20, before he was finally apprehended in 1996. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, anthrax was sent through the mail, killing five and causing 17 others to get sick. It took the FBI almost nine years to close the investigation, naming Bruce Ivins, a government scientist who killed himself before charges were filed, as the perpetrator. Doubts still linger about whether the true culprit was found.
In the current situation, the FBI declined to provide further details about the suspicious mail, including which researchers and institutions received it, whether there was a single or multiple packages, when the bureau was notified, what exactly the package or packages contained, what the motive could be, or whether a suspect had been identified.
It also declined to state whether it had contacted other universities about the risk, but said that it encourages “the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.”
In its Aug. 31 email to staff, the University of Washington’s Environmental Health and Safety department advised faculty to look out for suspicious packages, including those with “excessive postage,” “excessive tape,” “oily stains, discoloration, or a strange odor” or “no return address.” A university spokesperson said she was not aware of any employees receiving suspicious mail to date.


buzzfeed--2020-09-13--13 Horrific Period Moments You'll Only Understand If You've Had One

You ever run out of tampons when your period has just started and you need to do bleeding+walking/driving math to @ @ @ @ @ and try to calculate just how much toilet paper you need to fashion into a @ @ @ @ @ s not easy shit .

You ever run out of tampons when your period has just started and you need to do bleeding+walking/driving math to get to the nearest store and try to calculate just how much toilet paper you need to fashion into a makeshift pad/wad? That’s not easy shit.


buzzfeed--2020-09-13--Everything You Need To Know About Demisexuality

Demisexuals fall into the subcategory of `` graysexuals '' , or people who are on the asexuality spectrum and still @ @ @ @ @ occasions .
`` Because of that fluidity , demisexuals may engage in partnered sexual activity @ @ @ @ @ out of a desire for intimacy , rather than sexual need or desire , '' @ @ @ @ @ like any spectrum , sexual desire can vary quite a bit for both demisexuals and @ @ @

To sum up? When it comes to sexual identity and orientation, says Hall, the most supportive and inclusive thing you can do is to simply trust that people know what they want (or don’t want) in their own individual relationships.


buzzfeed--2020-09-13--Blanked-Out Spots On China's Maps Helped Us Uncover Xinjiang's Camps

This project was supported by the Open Technology Fund , the Pulitzer Center , and the Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism .
In the summer of 2018 , as it became even harder for journalists to work effectively in Xinjiang , a far-western region of China , we started to look at how we could use satellite imagery to investigate the camps where Uighurs and other Muslim minorities were being detained .
At the time we began , it was believed that there were around 1,200 camps in existence , while only several dozen had been found .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest .
Our breakthrough came when we noticed that there was some sort of issue with satellite imagery tiles loading in the vicinity of one of the known camps while using the Chinese mapping platform Baidu Maps .
The satellite imagery was old , but otherwise fine when zoomed out — but at a certain point , plain light gray tiles would appear over the camp location .
They disappeared as you zoomed in further , while the satellite imagery was replaced by the standard gray reference tiles , which showed features such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that time , Baidu only had satellite imagery at medium resolution in most parts of Xinjiang , which would be replaced by their general reference map tiles when you zoomed in closer .
That wasn ’ t what was happening here — these light gray tiles at the camp location were a different color than the reference map tiles and lacked any drawn information , such as roads .
We also knew that this wasn ’ t a failure to load tiles , or information that was missing from the map .
Usually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ display a tile , it serves a standard blank tile , which is watermarked .
These blank tiles are also a darker color than the tiles we had noticed over the camps .
Once we found that we could replicate the blank tile phenomenon reliably , we started to look at other camps whose locations were already known to the public to see if we could observe the same thing happening there .
Spoiler : We could .
Of the six camps that we used in our feasibility study , five had blank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 18 in Baidu , appearing only at this zoom level and disappearing as you zoomed in further .
One of the six camps didn ’ t have the blank tiles — a person who had visited the site in 2019 said it had closed , which could well have explained it .
However , we later found that the blank tiles weren ’ t used in city centers , only toward the edge of cities and in more rural areas .
( Baidu did not respond to repeated requests for comment . )
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ internment camps in this way , we examined Baidu 's satellite tiles for the whole of Xinjiang , including the blank masking tiles , which formed a separate layer on the map .
We analyzed the masked locations by comparing them to up-to-date imagery from Google Earth , the European Space Agency ’ s Sentinel Hub , and Planet Labs .
In total there were 5 million masked tiles across Xinjiang .
They seemed to cover any area of even the slightest strategic importance — military bases and training grounds , prisons , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some commercial and industrial facilities .
There were far too many locations for us to sort through , so we narrowed it down by focusing on the areas around cities and towns and major roads .
Prisons and internment camps need to be near infrastructure — you need to get large amounts of building materials and heavy machinery there to build them , for starters .
Chinese authorities would have also needed good roads and railways to bring newly detained people there by the thousand , as they did in the early months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ locations near major infrastructure was therefore a good way to focus our initial search .
This left us with around 50,000 locations to look at .
We began to sort through the mask tile locations systematically using a custom web tool that we built to support our investigation and help manage the data .
We analyzed the whole of Kashgar prefecture , the Uighur heartland , which is in the south of Xinjiang , as well as parts of the neighboring prefecture , Kizilsu , in this way .
After looking at 10,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of facilities bearing the hallmarks of detention centers , prisons , and camps , we had a good idea of the range of designs of these facilities and also the sorts of locations in which they were likely to be found .
We quickly began to notice how large many of these places are — and how heavily securitized they appear to be , compared to the earlier known camps .
In site layout , architecture , and security features , they bear greater resemblance to other prisons across China than to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier camps in Xinjiang .
The newer compounds are also built to last , in a way that the earlier conversions weren ’ t .
The perimeter walls are made of thick concrete , for example , which takes much longer to build and perhaps later demolish , than the barbed wire fencing that characterizes the early camps .
In almost every county , we found buildings bearing the hallmarks of detention centers , plus new facilities with the characteristics of large , high-security camps and/or prisons .
Typically , there would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the town , while on the outskirts there would be a new camp and prison , often in recently developed industrial areas .
Where we hadn ’ t yet found these facilities in a given county , this pattern pushed us to keep on looking , especially in areas where there was no recent satellite imagery .
Where there was no public high-resolution imagery , we used medium-resolution imagery from Planet Labs and Sentinel to locate likely sites .
Planet was then kind enough to give us access to high-resolution imagery for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to capture new imagery of some areas that hadn ’ t been photographed in high resolution since 2006 .
In one county , this allowed us to see that the detention center that had previously been identified by other researchers had been demolished and to find the new prison just out of town .

Read Part 1 of this investigation here. Read Part 2 here. For Part 3, click here. For Part 4, click here. For Part 5, click here.
This project was supported by the Open Technology Fund, the Pulitzer Center, and the Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism.
In the summer of 2018, as it became even harder for journalists to work effectively in Xinjiang, a far-western region of China, we started to look at how we could use satellite imagery to investigate the camps where Uighurs and other Muslim minorities were being detained. At the time we began, it was believed that there were around 1,200 camps in existence, while only several dozen had been found. We wanted to try to find the rest.
Our breakthrough came when we noticed that there was some sort of issue with satellite imagery tiles loading in the vicinity of one of the known camps while using the Chinese mapping platform Baidu Maps. The satellite imagery was old, but otherwise fine when zoomed out — but at a certain point, plain light gray tiles would appear over the camp location. They disappeared as you zoomed in further, while the satellite imagery was replaced by the standard gray reference tiles, which showed features such as building outlines and roads.
At that time, Baidu only had satellite imagery at medium resolution in most parts of Xinjiang, which would be replaced by their general reference map tiles when you zoomed in closer. That wasn’t what was happening here — these light gray tiles at the camp location were a different color than the reference map tiles and lacked any drawn information, such as roads. We also knew that this wasn’t a failure to load tiles, or information that was missing from the map. Usually when a map platform can’t display a tile, it serves a standard blank tile, which is watermarked. These blank tiles are also a darker color than the tiles we had noticed over the camps.
Once we found that we could replicate the blank tile phenomenon reliably, we started to look at other camps whose locations were already known to the public to see if we could observe the same thing happening there. Spoiler: We could. Of the six camps that we used in our feasibility study, five had blank tiles at their location at zoom level 18 in Baidu, appearing only at this zoom level and disappearing as you zoomed in further. One of the six camps didn’t have the blank tiles — a person who had visited the site in 2019 said it had closed, which could well have explained it. However, we later found that the blank tiles weren’t used in city centers, only toward the edge of cities and in more rural areas. (Baidu did not respond to repeated requests for comment.)
Having established that we could probably find internment camps in this way, we examined Baidu's satellite tiles for the whole of Xinjiang, including the blank masking tiles, which formed a separate layer on the map. We analyzed the masked locations by comparing them to up-to-date imagery from Google Earth, the European Space Agency’s Sentinel Hub, and Planet Labs.
In total there were 5 million masked tiles across Xinjiang. They seemed to cover any area of even the slightest strategic importance — military bases and training grounds, prisons, power plants, but also mines and some commercial and industrial facilities. There were far too many locations for us to sort through, so we narrowed it down by focusing on the areas around cities and towns and major roads.
Prisons and internment camps need to be near infrastructure — you need to get large amounts of building materials and heavy machinery there to build them, for starters. Chinese authorities would have also needed good roads and railways to bring newly detained people there by the thousand, as they did in the early months of the mass internment campaign. Analyzing locations near major infrastructure was therefore a good way to focus our initial search. This left us with around 50,000 locations to look at.
We began to sort through the mask tile locations systematically using a custom web tool that we built to support our investigation and help manage the data. We analyzed the whole of Kashgar prefecture, the Uighur heartland, which is in the south of Xinjiang, as well as parts of the neighboring prefecture, Kizilsu, in this way. After looking at 10,000 mask tile locations and identifying a number of facilities bearing the hallmarks of detention centers, prisons, and camps, we had a good idea of the range of designs of these facilities and also the sorts of locations in which they were likely to be found.
We quickly began to notice how large many of these places are — and how heavily securitized they appear to be, compared to the earlier known camps. In site layout, architecture, and security features, they bear greater resemblance to other prisons across China than to the converted schools and hospitals that formed the earlier camps in Xinjiang. The newer compounds are also built to last, in a way that the earlier conversions weren’t. The perimeter walls are made of thick concrete, for example, which takes much longer to build and perhaps later demolish, than the barbed wire fencing that characterizes the early camps.
In almost every county, we found buildings bearing the hallmarks of detention centers, plus new facilities with the characteristics of large, high-security camps and/or prisons. Typically, there would be an older detention center in the middle of the town, while on the outskirts there would be a new camp and prison, often in recently developed industrial areas. Where we hadn’t yet found these facilities in a given county, this pattern pushed us to keep on looking, especially in areas where there was no recent satellite imagery. Where there was no public high-resolution imagery, we used medium-resolution imagery from Planet Labs and Sentinel to locate likely sites. Planet was then kind enough to give us access to high-resolution imagery for these locations and to task a satellite to capture new imagery of some areas that hadn’t been photographed in high resolution since 2006. In one county, this allowed us to see that the detention center that had previously been identified by other researchers had been demolished and to find the new prison just out of town.