buzzfeed--2020-08-04--An Elite Group Of Scientists Tried To Warn Trump Against Lockdowns In March

John Ioannidis ’ s controversial studies claim that the coronavirus isn ’ t that big a threat .
Before the Stanford scientist did any of them , he wanted to take that message to the White House .
Stanford University scientist John Ioannidis has declared in study after study that the coronavirus is not that big of a threat , emboldening opponents of economic shutdowns — and infuriating critics who see fundamental errors in his work .
But even before the epidemiologist had any of that data in hand , he and an elite group of scientists tried to convince @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country would be the real danger .
In late March , as COVID-19 cases overran hospitals overseas , Ioannidis tried to organize a meeting at the White House where he and a small band of colleagues would caution the president against “ shutting down the country for [ a ] very long time and jeopardizing so many lives in doing this , ” according to a statement Ioannidis submitted on the group ’ s behalf .
Their goal , the statement said , was “ to both save more lives and avoid serious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most reliable data.
” Although the meeting did not happen , Ioannidis believed their message had reached the right people .
Within a day of him sending it to the White House , Trump announced that he wanted the country reopened by Easter .
“ I think our ideas have inflitrated [ sic ] the White House regardless , ” Ioannidis told his collaborators on March 28 , in one of dozens of emails that BuzzFeed News obtained through public records requests .
But at this critical juncture , many other public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not have the luxury of waiting for perfect data .
In the face of a life-threatening pandemic , they wanted states to order residents to stay at home , immediately , to prevent health care systems from getting crushed .
Ioannidis ’ s ideas “ were scientifically untenable at that time , and untenable from the perspective of decision-making especially , ” Marc Lipsitch , a Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health epidemiologist , told BuzzFeed News .
If you have tips about the coronavirus , reach out to this reporter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protonmail.com .
And the group ’ s attempt to convey these preliminary ideas directly to the White House is highly unusual for scientists , said Sheila Jasanoff , a Harvard Kennedy School professor who studies the role of science in politics .
“ It creates the impression that the work that the scientists are intending to do will be shaped by a political purpose , maybe even before they have started doing the work , ” Jasanoff said .
Their decision to push an untested theory to influence federal policy , she added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science.
” Ioannidis assembled at least eight scientists to try to meet the president .
Two of them told BuzzFeed News that , if a meeting did happen , they would make it clear they did not oppose widespread lockdowns .
But others , including a Nobel laureate , feared that their consequences would be greater than the threat of the virus .
Several were already harnessing their prominent platforms to sound the alarm in media appearances and meetings with politicians .
Their leader , Ioannidis , would go on to conclude in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posed a low risk to most people , and hold them up as evidence that lockdowns are an overreaction .
Some of that work has been fiercely called into question , however , and observers have wondered if the iconoclast , lionized for his pioneering critiques of biased and overhyped science , is trying to prove a predetermined conclusion .
Now , the emails reveal that before Ioannidis had collected any data , he was so assured about the dangers of lockdowns that he felt compelled to personally warn the president .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told the group that he had submitted their letter to the White House .
His pitch for a meeting — either in DC , or over videoconference — reiterated what he had been saying publicly for days .
“ Dr Ioannidis ( bio below ) is assembling a group of world renowned scientists who can contribute insights to help solve the major challenge of COVID-19 , by intensifying efforts to understand the denominator of infected people ( much larger than what is documented to-date ) and having a science- and data-informed , targeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for very long time and jeopardizing so many lives in doing this , ” the statement read .
It continued : “ The aim is to identify the best way to both save more lives and avoid serious damage to the US economy using the most reliable data , since the infection rate may be off by a very large factor versus the number of currently documented cases.
” This statement didn ’ t capture each member ’ s full views of how the country should proceed .
Klausner , for instance , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders should have lasted no more than 10 days while the hardest-hit local areas prepared , and Katz said that , prior to implementing his strategy , shutdowns would likely still be “ fairly ” widespread .
But both of them said they stood by the statement ’ s opposition to a “ one-size-fits-all ” approach .
Bhattacharya , Levitt , and Fowler , who did not return requests for comment , appear to have been keen participants .
As Ioannidis relayed in one email , “ All three of them had wrtten @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how they enthusiastically agreed with what I proposed.
” In contrast , two other members told BuzzFeed News they were not in the anti-lockdown camp .
Arthur Reingold , head of UC Berkeley ’ s epidemiology and biostatistics division , said that he was recruited because he “ did not agree with the underlying premise regarding ‘ shelter in place ’ as being unwise in the context of the pandemic in the US.
” Sten Vermund , dean of the Yale School of Public Health , said , “ I ’ ve been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this pandemic.
” He cowrote a letter to the New York Times lambasting Katz ’ s endorsement of herd immunity , and went on a podcast to debate Ioannidis over the importance of lockdowns .
“ That I was part of the group will be interpreted by some that I supported their point of view , which I did not , ” Vermund said .
“ Not in March or April or now.
” He agreed to join , he said , to ensure Trump got accurate guidance .
“ I just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re inviting me and they know how I feel , I ought to go because their point of view is not nuanced and I don ’ t think it ’ s going to be good advice for the president to take , ’ ” Vermund said .
“ I was going to tell him to do it intelligently and to definitely do lockdowns.
” What did unite the group — “ the one thing all of us could agree on , ” as Vermund put it — was a desire for more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told the group he sent in the statement , there were signs the White House was backing away from lockdowns : Trump announced that he wanted the country “ raring to go by Easter , ” or April 12 .
( Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious disease expert , hastened to add that the timeline was “ really very flexible.
” ) But as European nations issued extended lockdown orders and UK government officials warned they could last for up to six months , Trump changed course , extending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of April .
By the end of March , 32 states were telling people to stay at home .
“ Given the about face yet again from the White House with new the [ sic ] 30 day plus national shut down , seems like our thoughts may have hit a wall and bounced back ?
” Klausner asked over email .
“ Frustrating indeed , ” Ioannidis replied .
“ I am still struggling to see whether we can find a way to get in the White House.
” But as days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the highly anticipated meeting was not going to happen .
The email thread died off .
White House spokesperson Sarah Matthews said that Trump “ has always acted on the recommendations of his top public health experts throughout this crisis as evidenced by the many bold , data-driven decisions he has made to save millions of lives.
” She added , “ As the President has also said , the cure can not be worse than the disease and it ’ s well-documented the impact staying shut down would have , including suicide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She did not answer questions about whether Ioannidis ’ s theories influenced the president ’ s decision-making .
As March turned to April , Ioannidis began collecting data to test the theory he ’ d been putting forward for weeks .
On April 3 and 4 , more than 3,000 Silicon Valley residents lined up to have their blood drawn for a study overseen by Ioannidis , Bhattacharya , and other Stanford researchers .
The goal was to look for antibodies indicating if they ’ d already been infected by the coronavirus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ their results , some of the team went on the Fox News show The Next Revolution to promote a “ science-based ” plan to reopen “ safely , but soon.
” Also on air with them that night was David Neeleman , the founder of JetBlue and a vocal opponent of lockdowns .
Later , a whistleblower complaint filed to Stanford would reveal that he was an undisclosed sponsor of the research , and allege that he “ potentially used financial incentives to secure cooperation from ” an external scientist concerned about the @ @ @ @ @

3. The Statement
On the evening of March 24, Ioannidis told the group that he had submitted their letter to the White House. His pitch for a meeting — either in DC, or over videoconference — reiterated what he had been saying publicly for days.
“Dr Ioannidis (bio below) is assembling a group of world renowned scientists who can contribute insights to help solve the major challenge of COVID-19, by intensifying efforts to understand the denominator of infected people (much larger than what is documented to-date) and having a science- and data-informed, targeted approach rather than shutting down the country for very long time and jeopardizing so many lives in doing this,” the statement read.
It continued: “The aim is to identify the best way to both save more lives and avoid serious damage to the US economy using the most reliable data, since the infection rate may be off by a very large factor versus the number of currently documented cases.”
This statement didn’t capture each member’s full views of how the country should proceed. Klausner, for instance, told BuzzFeed News that he thought shelter-in-place orders should have lasted no more than 10 days while the hardest-hit local areas prepared, and Katz said that, prior to implementing his strategy, shutdowns would likely still be “fairly” widespread. But both of them said they stood by the statement’s opposition to a “one-size-fits-all” approach.
Bhattacharya, Levitt, and Fowler, who did not return requests for comment, appear to have been keen participants. As Ioannidis relayed in one email, “All three of them had wrtten [sic] to me to say how they enthusiastically agreed with what I proposed.”
In contrast, two other members told BuzzFeed News they were not in the anti-lockdown camp. Arthur Reingold, head of UC Berkeley’s epidemiology and biostatistics division, said that he was recruited because he “did not agree with the underlying premise regarding ‘shelter in place’ as being unwise in the context of the pandemic in the US.”
Sten Vermund, dean of the Yale School of Public Health, said, “I’ve been arguing with this crowd from the beginning of this pandemic.” He cowrote a letter to the New York Times lambasting Katz’s endorsement of herd immunity, and went on a podcast to debate Ioannidis over the importance of lockdowns.
“That I was part of the group will be interpreted by some that I supported their point of view, which I did not,” Vermund said. “Not in March or April or now.”
He agreed to join, he said, to ensure Trump got accurate guidance. “I just thought, ‘Look, if they’re inviting me and they know how I feel, I ought to go because their point of view is not nuanced and I don’t think it’s going to be good advice for the president to take,’” Vermund said. “I was going to tell him to do it intelligently and to definitely do lockdowns.”
What did unite the group — “the one thing all of us could agree on,” as Vermund put it — was a desire for more comprehensive testing.
On the day Ioannidis told the group he sent in the statement, there were signs the White House was backing away from lockdowns: Trump announced that he wanted the country “raring to go by Easter,” or April 12. (Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, hastened to add that the timeline was “really very flexible.”)
But as European nations issued extended lockdown orders and UK government officials warned they could last for up to six months, Trump changed course, extending the social distancing guidelines to the end of April. By the end of March, 32 states were telling people to stay at home.
“Given the about face yet again from the White House with new the [sic] 30 day plus national shut down, seems like our thoughts may have hit a wall and bounced back?” Klausner asked over email.
“Frustrating indeed,” Ioannidis replied. “I am still struggling to see whether we can find a way to get in the White House.”


buzzfeed--2020-08-03--Mueller Memos Part 8: More Revelations About What Witnesses Told Investigators About Trump And Russi

Mueller Memos Part 8: More Revelations About What Witnesses Told Investigators About Trump And Russia

BuzzFeed News sued the FBI and the Department of Justice for access to the secret records used by special counsel Robert Mueller .
Today , we are publishing the eighth installment of the FBI ’ s interview summaries with witnesses in the investigation .
Bannon , who joined Trump ’ s campaign in August 2016 , described numerous discussions within the Trump campaign related to “ dirt ” that could be used to harm Hillary Clinton ’ s campaign .
He “ was always interested in the missing 33,000 emails , ” an FBI agent wrote in a summary of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doubts that Roger Stone had a relationship with Julian Assange of WikiLeaks or would know about an impending leak .
According to Bannon , Trump “ every now and then ” would “ bring up the 33,000 emails.
” The then-candidate , Bannon told investigators , thought the missing emails might contain info on a connection linking “ crooked Hillary ” to a widely circulated conspiracy theory about uranium .
At one point , Bannon wondered if Michael Flynn , who would go on to be named Trump ’ s national security adviser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ using an outside company and finding the 33,000 missing emails.
” After WikiLeaks published then–Democratic National Committee chair John Podesta ’ s hacked emails in October 2016 , Trump asked Bannon “ if it was a big deal , ” according to the 302 .
Bannon said he had never believed they were that important and that they would not have a big impact on the campaign .
In his interview , Bannon pulled few punches in regard to other advisers in Trump ’ s orbit .
He described Roger Stone as someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ nasty piece of work ” who leaked stories to the press in order to get Trump ’ s first campaign manager , Corey Lewandowski , removed from the job .
Lewandwoski left the campaign in June and was replaced by Stone ’ s former business partner , Paul Manafort .
In addition , Bannon called campaign advisers Sam Clovis and George Papadopoulos “ clowns.
” An unnamed male witness told investigators that when the FBI agents who showed up at his house confirmed that they were looking for information about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ Fuck , fuck , I knew you guys would come , it was so fucked up.
” The witness said he never saw Prince with Trump or around the campaign .
The next section of the interview is redacted and ends with an out-of-context reference to “ information about Eliot Spitzer and the escort service , ” a reference to the sex scandal that brought down the former New York governor in 2008 .
The witness said Prince wanted to throw a fundraiser for Trump , but it didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Blackwater , was too controversial .
The witness told agents that Trump campaign officials didn ’ t know what they were doing .
He said the campaign didn ’ t have a plan or organization when they arrived in a state to stump for Trump — he said he would go on Craigslist to look for office space .
Once Trump secured the nomination , the witness said he and other campaign workers were advised to switch over to the Republican National Committee ’ s payroll , where they could earn more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him money for expenses .
He said he didn ’ t hear about any contacts between Russia and the campaign , but added that Trump said he wasn ’ t impressed with Russian President Vladimir Putin and noted Putin was “ only 5 ’ 6.
” Paul Manafort resigned from Trump ’ s campaign in August 2016 , but months later he was open about his efforts to keep a finger on policy issues of interest to the Trump administration .
An unnamed witness told an agent that when he “ ran into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he was going to try to convince the incoming president of Ecuador to kick Julian Assange out of the nation ’ s London embassy .
The witness didn ’ t know if Manafort followed through .
( The New York Times and others previously reported on Manafort ’ s plan . )
The witness had called the FBI agent in November 2018 after reading a report in The Guardian that stated Manafort had several secret meetings with Assange at the embassy , where Assange lived for years while claiming asylum .
Manafort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100 % false.
” The Guardian story also noted that Wikileaks denied that the two men met .
The witness told the FBI agent that they had two conversations with Manafort about Manafort ’ s plan to pitch his services to the Ecuadorian president as a political adviser , but that Manafort had never said whether or not he met with Assange .
An unidentified witness told investigators in 2017 that during a VIP reception at the Mayflower Hotel a year earlier , at which the president delivered his foreign policy speech , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would snap their fingers to get people to wait on them .
“ Trump , Jr. tried to [ redacted ] attention by snapping his fingers at him and asking him to take him to a different part of the reception .
[ Redacted ] explained that he was not secret service .
Trump Jr. then snapped his fingers at agents who escorted him wherever he went .
[ Redacted ] explained that Trump also snapped his fingers at this former Campaign Manager Paul Manafort or Corey Lewandowski during a review of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documents show that Charlie Black , a veteran Republican political strategist , appears to have spoken with the Mueller 's team .
One August 2018 interview summary described a witness , whose name is redacted , as someone who began a political consulting firm with Paul Manafort and Roger Stone — a description that could only refer to Black .
The witness `` does not trust Manafort and would not believe his version of events , '' the summary read .
Other parts of the interview summary match publicly available information about Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gates to work at the firm with Manafort and Stone , which the Associated Press noted in a feature about Gates , and that he spent time with Manafort and Stone the night before Trump 's inauguration , a story that Black himself told Washingtonian .
Black declined to comment on Tuesday evening .
According to the interview summary , Black told investigators that he wasn ’ t aware of Manafort doing anything illegal when they worked together , but he did note that Manafort billed clients when he traveled via the Concorde @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a taste for the finer things , ” the summary read .
Black told investigators that leading up to Manafort ’ s first federal indictment — along with Rick Gates — in late October 2017 , friends of Manafort formed a group to try to help him out .
Part of their strategy was to circulate a biography of Manafort to elected officials and the press .
The Story of Manafort , by Manafort Manafort himself wrote the biography , which was reviewed by members of the informal group in an email attachment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and which appears to include the claim that “ [ n ] one of the public affairs activities ” that Manafort organized “ were conducted in the United States ” — Manafort would later admit to orchestrating lobbying activities in the United States as part of his plea deal .
After he was indicted , including on charges that he used overseas accounts to hide money from the IRS , Manafort told his supporters “ there was a good explanation for all of it ” and that it was his clients who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receive their payments for his services .
Black also talked about helping out Gates as the criminal case against him unfolded .
Weighing his options , Gates in either December 2017 or January 2018 reached out to his former employer for advice on whether he should take a plea deal or hope for a pardon from President Trump .
Black “ told Gates that Trump would only pardon Gates if it was in the best interests of Trump , '' according to the summary .
Gates eventually opted to take the plea agreement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s office .
In February 2018 he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and conspiring against the United States and was eventually sentenced to 45 days in jail and three years probation .
This April a judge suspended his jail time due to COVID-19 .
Although Trump has issued 25 pardons since taking office , he has yet to pardon anyone indicted as part of the Mueller investigation .
The final 448-page Mueller report , released in April 2019 , was the most hotly anticipated prosecutorial document in a generation .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the primary-source documents that Mueller ’ s team had amassed over the course of its two-year probe ; much of the content of the hundreds of interviews taken by the special counsel ’ s office has never before been reviewed publicly .
For example , interview summaries released late last year showed that Paul Manafort was still advising the Trump campaign three days before Election Day in 2016 — despite having been fired as campaign manager nearly three months earlier .
That fact , wrote Trump ’ s next campaign manager , Steve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be kept secret or “ they are going to try to say the Russians worked with wiki leaks to give this victory to us.
” In May 2019 , BuzzFeed News sued the FBI and the Department of Justice under the Freedom of Information Act seeking access to the thousands of pages of interview summaries of the witnesses who spoke to FBI agents and prosecutors .
That litigation was subsequently joined by CNN .
In October , a federal judge ordered the release of the documents , and the two agencies began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court order , records must be disclosed every month ; to date , the government has produced in excess of 2,000 pages of summaries from interviews with more than 500 witnesses who spoke to Mueller ’ s team during the course of the investigation .
The vast majority of the 302s have been heavily redacted , leaving vast swaths of information about what witnesses told investigators obscured from view .
BuzzFeed News has challenged some of those redactions , arguing in court that one category of exemption that the government has cited to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politically motivated , and implemented solely to protect the president .
Although the Mueller investigation led to 37 indictments and seven convictions , Trump has aggressively sought to discredit it , repeatedly referring to it as a “ witch hunt.
” His efforts have been supported by Attorney General Bill Barr , who has been accused of intentionally misrepresenting Mueller ’ s findings and who has taken the highly unusual step of intervening in several cases related to the investigation , including the prosecutions of former national security adviser Michael Flynn and political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barr also tapped a US attorney in Connecticut , John Durham , to investigate the origins of the Russia probe .

Bannon: Trump Wanted Those Emails
Bannon, who joined Trump’s campaign in August 2016, described numerous discussions within the Trump campaign related to “dirt” that could be used to harm Hillary Clinton’s campaign. He “was always interested in the missing 33,000 emails,” an FBI agent wrote in a summary of the February 2018 interview, but expressed doubts that Roger Stone had a relationship with Julian Assange of WikiLeaks or would know about an impending leak.
According to Bannon, Trump “every now and then” would “bring up the 33,000 emails.” The then-candidate, Bannon told investigators, thought the missing emails might contain info on a connection linking “crooked Hillary” to a widely circulated conspiracy theory about uranium.
At one point, Bannon wondered if Michael Flynn, who would go on to be named Trump’s national security adviser, “might have an idea about using an outside company and finding the 33,000 missing emails.”
After WikiLeaks published then–Democratic National Committee chair John Podesta’s hacked emails in October 2016, Trump asked Bannon “if it was a big deal,” according to the 302. Bannon said he had never believed they were that important and that they would not have a big impact on the campaign.


buzzfeed--2020-08-04--New Emails Detail The Behind-The-Scenes Drama After The Justice Department Recommended A Lesser Sent

New Emails Detail The Behind-The-Scenes Drama After The Justice Department Recommended A Lesser Sentence For Roger Stone

WASHINGTON — At 2:59 p.m. on Feb. 11 , Aaron Zelinsky , one of the lead prosecutors in the criminal case against Trump ally Roger Stone , sent an email notifying his supervisor J.P. Cooney that he was withdrawing from Stone ’ s case .
In an email one minute later , according to the time stamp , Cooney tried to stop him .
“ I am not approving of you withdrawing from this case right now , ” Cooney wrote in one of a set of emails obtained by BuzzFeed News through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ filed his withdrawal from the Stone case with the federal district court in Washington .
Three minutes after his email to Cooney , Zelinsky wrote to two assistant US attorneys in Maryland to say that he didn ’ t think Cooney could force him to continue working on Stone ’ s case ; his email made clear he ’ d consulted with them in advance about his decision .
“ As we have discussed , I do not believe that he has the power to compel me to stay in the case , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and from Zelinsky offer new perspective on the flurry of activity that took place behind the scenes after the Justice Department stepped in to overrule its own prosecutors , including Zelinsky , and recommend a lesser sentence for Stone , Trump ’ s ally and former campaign adviser .
The Stone prosecutors had initially recommended that Stone serve seven to nine years in prison for lying to Congress in the Russia investigation and witness tampering , but the Justice Department led by Attorney General Bill Barr walked back that suggestion in court , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign from the president complaining of a “ very unfair situation ” for Stone .
Zelinsky was the first of four prosecutors on the case to withdraw in the wake of DOJ ’ s filing .
The 76-pages of partially redacted emails were turned over to BuzzFeed News by the Executive Office of US Attorneys .
The agency withheld 152 pages in releasing the emails Monday and indicated some of those records are sealed and others were referred to the FBI for review .
The Justice Department intends to make additional monthly productions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how the Justice Department handled Stone ’ s case .
The prosecution team filed its original sentencing memo for Stone on Feb. 10 .
Zelinsky testified before the House Judiciary Committee in June that in the days leading up to that filing , he learned that “ leadership ” in the US attorney ’ s office in Washington , which took over the Stone case after special counsel Robert Mueller ended his investigation , was pressuring the prosecution team to seek a less severe punishment .
Zelinsky testified that a supervisor told him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office at the time , Timothy Shea , wanted to give Stone special treatment because Shea was “ afraid of the president.
” After the prosecutors filed their original sentencing memo , Trump publicly protested , tweeting that it was a “ miscarriage of justice.
” The judge ultimately sentenced Stone to 40 months in prison , but Trump commuted that sentence last month , shortly before Stone was set to report to the Bureau of Prisons .
Shea had been in charge of the DC office for a week when the sentencing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been appointed by Barr to temporarily take over as interim US attorney effective Feb. 3 ; Shea ’ s previous job had been as a counselor to Barr .
Shea is currently serving as acting administrator for the Drug Enforcement Administration .
The emails produced to BuzzFeed News don ’ t include any messages between Zelinsky and Shea .
But Zelinsky did exchange emails with Shea ’ s chief of staff , David Metcalf .
At 2:05 p.m. on Feb. 10 , Metcalf wrote to Zelinsky : “ If you actually want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest of Metcalf ’ s message is redacted .
“ What would you like to discuss ?
I am a bit busy because of Stone sentencing memo ( as I ’ m sure you ’ re aware ) , ” Zelinsky replied one minute later .
The second half of his email is redacted .
While that exchange was taking place , Zelinsky was also trading emails with Jonathan Lenzner , an official in the US attorney ’ s office in Maryland .
The contents of those emails are fully redacted , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Looks like they are blinking.
” Zelinsky is an assistant US attorney in Maryland ; he had been part of Mueller ’ s team , and then was specially detailed to the DC office to continue working on the Stone case .
At 3:58 p.m. , it appears Zelinsky and Metcalf hadn ’ t connected yet , because Zelinsky emailed Metcalf to say that he was leaving and could talk by phone .
The documents produced to BuzzFeed News don ’ t indicate if the two men spoke .
The Stone prosecution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Zelinsky told the House Judiciary Committee that he had told “ leadership ” in the US attorney ’ s office that he would withdraw “ rather than sign a memo that was the result of wrongful political pressure , ” and that the prosecution team eventually got approval to file their recommendation .
At 1:48 a.m. on Feb. 11 , Trump published his tweet calling the recommendation a “ miscarriage of justice.
” Later in the morning , Zelinsky testified that the prosecutors learned about media reports that DOJ planned to file @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provided to BuzzFeed News show that at 12:06 p.m. , Michael Marando , another one of the lead prosecutors in Stone ’ s case , emailed Cooney about a tweet from a Fox News reporter that the Justice Department would be changing its sentencing recommendation for Stone .
“ FYI , ” Marando wrote in his message to Cooney .
One minute later , Cooney replied to Marando , “ False.
” Twenty seconds later , according to the time stamps on the emails , Marando forwarded Cooney ’ s response to Zelinsky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Marando and another lead Stone prosecutor , Jonathan Kravis , with a tweet from a CNN reporter that mirrored the Fox News tweet , quoting an unnamed Justice Department official criticizing their sentencing recommendation as “ extreme and excessive ” and “ grossly disproportionate to Stone ’ s offenses.
” Marando , Kravis , and the fourth member of the team , Adam Jed , withdrew from the case on Feb. 11 along with Zelinsky .
After news broke that the prosecution team had withdrawn , Zelinsky received a message of encouragement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , P. Michael Cunningham : “ Very proud of you !
” “ Thanks !
Just doing what any of us would have done in the same circumstance , ” Zelinsky replied .
The final email provided to BuzzFeed News Monday shows Zelinsky appearing to take a jab at Shea the morning after prosecutors filed their sentencing recommendation .
Zelinsky , Marando , Kravis , and Jed , along with Shea , had received a profanity-laced email shortly after 9 a.m. on Feb. 11 from a person whose name is redacted that was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentencing recommendation .
“ Good news , ” Zelinsky wrote to Marando , Kravis , and Jed , “ we know the U.S. Attorney won ’ t get this threat because he doesn ’ t use email.
” Zelinsky and a spokesperson for the US attorney ’ s office in DC did not immediately return requests for comment .

WASHINGTON — At 2:59 p.m. on Feb. 11, Aaron Zelinsky, one of the lead prosecutors in the criminal case against Trump ally Roger Stone, sent an email notifying his supervisor J.P. Cooney that he was withdrawing from Stone’s case.
In an email one minute later, according to the time stamp, Cooney tried to stop him.
“I am not approving of you withdrawing from this case right now,” Cooney wrote in one of a set of emails obtained by BuzzFeed News through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
Cooney was too late — Zelinsky had filed his withdrawal from the Stone case with the federal district court in Washington. Three minutes after his email to Cooney, Zelinsky wrote to two assistant US attorneys in Maryland to say that he didn’t think Cooney could force him to continue working on Stone’s case; his email made clear he’d consulted with them in advance about his decision.
“As we have discussed, I do not believe that he has the power to compel me to stay in the case,” Zelinsky wrote.
The emails to and from Zelinsky offer new perspective on the flurry of activity that took place behind the scenes after the Justice Department stepped in to overrule its own prosecutors, including Zelinsky, and recommend a lesser sentence for Stone, Trump’s ally and former campaign adviser.
The Stone prosecutors had initially recommended that Stone serve seven to nine years in prison for lying to Congress in the Russia investigation and witness tampering, but the Justice Department led by Attorney General Bill Barr walked back that suggestion in court, a rare move that followed a Twitter campaign from the president complaining of a “very unfair situation” for Stone. Zelinsky was the first of four prosecutors on the case to withdraw in the wake of DOJ’s filing.
The 76 pages of partially redacted emails were turned over to BuzzFeed News by the Executive Office of US Attorneys. The agency withheld 152 pages in releasing the emails Monday and indicated some of those records are sealed and others were referred to the FBI for review. The Justice Department intends to make additional monthly productions of emails and other documents related to how the Justice Department handled Stone’s case.
The prosecution team filed its original sentencing memo for Stone on Feb. 10. Zelinsky testified before the House Judiciary Committee in June that in the days leading up to that filing, he learned that “leadership” in the US attorney’s office in Washington, which took over the Stone case after special counsel Robert Mueller ended his investigation, was pressuring the prosecution team to seek a less severe punishment.
Zelinsky testified that a supervisor told him that the interim US attorney leading the office at the time, Timothy Shea, wanted to give Stone special treatment because Shea was “afraid of the president.” After the prosecutors filed their original sentencing memo, Trump publicly protested, tweeting that it was a “miscarriage of justice.” The judge ultimately sentenced Stone to 40 months in prison, but Trump commuted that sentence last month, shortly before Stone was set to report to the Bureau of Prisons.
Shea had been in charge of the DC office for a week when the sentencing memo was filed — he’d been appointed by Barr to temporarily take over as interim US attorney effective Feb. 3; Shea’s previous job had been as a counselor to Barr. Shea is currently serving as acting administrator for the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The emails produced to BuzzFeed News don’t include any messages between Zelinsky and Shea. But Zelinsky did exchange emails with Shea’s chief of staff, David Metcalf. At 2:05 p.m. on Feb. 10, Metcalf wrote to Zelinsky: “If you actually want to talk, let me know.” The rest of Metcalf’s message is redacted.
“What would you like to discuss? I am a bit busy because of Stone sentencing memo (as I’m sure you’re aware),” Zelinsky replied one minute later. The second half of his email is redacted.
While that exchange was taking place, Zelinsky was also trading emails with Jonathan Lenzner, an official in the US attorney’s office in Maryland. The contents of those emails are fully redacted, but the subject line reads, “Re: Looks like they are blinking.” Zelinsky is an assistant US attorney in Maryland; he had been part of Mueller’s team, and then was specially detailed to the DC office to continue working on the Stone case.
At 3:58 p.m., it appears Zelinsky and Metcalf hadn’t connected yet, because Zelinsky emailed Metcalf to say that he was leaving and could talk by phone. The documents produced to BuzzFeed News don’t indicate if the two men spoke.
The Stone prosecution team filed their sentencing memo that evening. Zelinsky told the House Judiciary Committee that he had told “leadership” in the US attorney’s office that he would withdraw “rather than sign a memo that was the result of wrongful political pressure,” and that the prosecution team eventually got approval to file their recommendation.
At 1:48 a.m. on Feb. 11, Trump published his tweet calling the recommendation a “miscarriage of justice.” Later in the morning, Zelinsky testified that the prosecutors learned about media reports that DOJ planned to file a new sentencing recommendation.
The emails provided to BuzzFeed News show that at 12:06 p.m., Michael Marando, another one of the lead prosecutors in Stone’s case, emailed Cooney about a tweet from a Fox News reporter that the Justice Department would be changing its sentencing recommendation for Stone.
“FYI,” Marando wrote in his message to Cooney. One minute later, Cooney replied to Marando, “False.” Twenty seconds later, according to the timestamps on the emails, Marando forwarded Cooney’s response to Zelinsky.
Five minutes later, Zelinsky replied to Marando and another lead Stone prosecutor, Jonathan Kravis, with a tweet from a CNN reporter that mirrored the Fox News tweet, quoting an unnamed Justice Department official criticizing their sentencing recommendation as “extreme and excessive” and “grossly disproportionate to Stone’s offenses.”
Marando, Kravis, and the fourth member of the team, Adam Jed, withdrew from the case on Feb. 11 along with Zelinsky.
After news broke that the prosecution team had withdrawn, Zelinsky received a message of encouragement from another assistant US attorney in Maryland, P. Michael Cunningham: “Very proud of you!”
“Thanks! Just doing what any of us would have done in the same circumstance,” Zelinsky replied.
The final email provided to BuzzFeed News Monday shows Zelinsky appearing to take a jab at Shea the morning after prosecutors filed their sentencing recommendation. Zelinsky, Marando, Kravis, and Jed, along with Shea, had received a profanity-laced email shortly after 9 a.m. on Feb. 11 from a person whose name is redacted that was critical of the prosecution’s original sentencing recommendation.
“Good news,” Zelinsky wrote to Marando, Kravis, and Jed, “we know the U.S. Attorney won’t get this threat because he doesn’t use email.”
Zelinsky and a spokesperson for the US attorney’s office in DC did not immediately return requests for comment.
Stone sent BuzzFeed News a statement in response to the release of Zelinsky's emails, writing that Zelinsky "needs to stop pretending he is a 'non-political career line prosecutor'" and pointing to Zelinsky's previous experience working in the State Department during the Obama administration. As an assistant US attorney, Zelinsky is a career employee of the Justice Department and is not a political appointee.
Stone reiterated his contention that the government's original sentencing recommendation of seven to nine years in prison was "excessive." He is continuing to appeal his conviction after having his prison term commuted.


buzzfeed--2020-08-04--A Woman's Obituary For Her Husband Who Died From The Coronavirus Is Going Viral

David W. Nagy did n't usually like it when his wife talked politics , but when he died last month from COVID-19 she channeled her devastation and anger into his short obituary , blaming his death on President Trump , the governor of Texas , and `` the many ignorant , self-centered and selfish people '' who refuse to wear a mask .
`` Dave did everything he was supposed to do , but you did not , '' Stacey Nagy , 72 , wrote in the six-paragraph tribute to her 79-year-old husband , who died on July 22 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and may Karma find you all ! ''
David had a list of medical conditions that increased his risk of becoming severely ill from COVID-19 , Stacey told BuzzFeed News , including diabetes , heart problems , and early signs of dementia .
As the pandemic spread through the US , Stacey and her husband tried to take every single precaution possible to stay safe , but they never could have accounted for the politicization of the pandemic and basic health recommendations .
`` We were married for 20 years and now I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` It 's just been devastating for me .
It pisses me off because he did n't need to die .
Had people been following the recommendations , things would have been different .
But people do n't . ''
Published in the Jefferson Jimplecute newspaper on July 30 , the obituary has been shared widely in social media , where Stacey lays blame on the Trump administration and Texas Gov .
Greg Abbott .
`` Family members believe David 's death was needless , '' the obituary reads .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of all other innocent people , on Trump , Abbott and all of the other politicians who did not take this pandemic seriously and were more concerned with their popularity and votes than lives . ''
Stacey said she believes Trump and Abbott dismissed early recommendations like wearing face masks , helping to fuel anti-mask movements across the country .
`` Also to blame are the many ignorant , self-centered and selfish people who refused to follow the advice of the medical professionals , believing their 'right ' not to wear a mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' she wrote .

David W. Nagy didn't usually like it when his wife talked politics, but when he died last month from COVID-19 she channeled her devastation and anger into his short obituary, blaming his death on President Trump, the governor of Texas, and "the many ignorant, self-centered and selfish people" who refuse to wear a mask.
"Dave did everything he was supposed to do, but you did not," Stacey Nagy, 72, wrote in the six-paragraph tribute to her 79-year-old husband, who died on July 22. "Shame on all of you, and may Karma find you all!"
David had a list of medical conditions that increased his risk of becoming severely ill from COVID-19, Stacey told BuzzFeed News, including diabetes, heart problems, and early signs of dementia.
As the pandemic spread through the US, Stacey and her husband tried to take every single precaution possible to stay safe, but they never could have accounted for the politicization of the pandemic and basic health recommendations.
"We were married for 20 years and now I'm not with him," she said. "It's just been devastating for me. It pisses me off because he didn't need to die. Had people been following the recommendations, things would have been different. But people don't."
Published in the Jefferson Jimplecute newspaper on July 30, the obituary has been shared widely in social media, where Stacey lays blame on the Trump administration and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
"Family members believe David's death was needless," the obituary reads. "They blame his death and the deaths of all other innocent people, on Trump, Abbott and all of the other politicians who did not take this pandemic seriously and were more concerned with their popularity and votes than lives."
Stacey said she believes Trump and Abbott dismissed early recommendations like wearing face masks, helping to fuel anti-mask movements across the country.
"Also to blame are the many ignorant, self-centered and selfish people who refused to follow the advice of the medical professionals, believing their 'right' not to wear a mask was more important than killing innocent people," she wrote.


buzzfeed--2020-08-04--Trump Vaccine Adviser Warns That Scrutiny Of Him Will Delay Arrival Of Coronavirus Vaccine

The chief adviser to Operation Warp Speed , the Trump administration ’ s program investing billions of dollars into discovering a coronavirus vaccine , says media scrutiny of his stock ownership may delay a vaccine or make its discovery less likely because it is distracting him from his work Moncef Slaoui made the remarks on the official Health and Human Services podcast , released Friday , while being interviewed by HHS assistant secretary of public affairs Michael Caputo .
The interview quickly descended into a lengthy rant about the media .
“ The American people need to understand that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because they don ’ t want a vaccine , in order to defeat Donald Trump , ” Caputo said at one point .
The two men took extensive issue with news stories about Slaoui .
He is working as a contractor voluntarily , drawing payment of only $ 1 .
As news reports have outlined , this exempts him from ethics rules that would apply to federal employees .
Slaoui worked for 30 years in senior roles at pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline .
He still holds significant stock in the company .
The HHS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to own stock in the pharmaceutical industry and is exempt from disclosure rules that would apply if he joined the government .
After introductions , the podcast interview pivoted to the media ’ s treatment of Slaoui .
Caputo said that by joining Operation Warp Speed , Slaoui put a target on his back .
Slaoui agreed and said he was naive .
He said the media attention has distracted him and hurt the development of a vaccine .
“ I ’ m amazed that I ’ m being attacked on a personal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my energy and the energy of all the teams we ’ re working together with to deliver , and therefore decreases our chances or the speed with which we try to help humanity and the country resolve and address this issue , ” he said .
Slaoui said he is convinced the press has only one objective , which is “ to distort information in a way that allows them to shape an opinion.
” Caputo then praised Slaoui for working for free and ridiculed the notion of him trying to enrich his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t recognize the media anymore , ” he said .
“ I ’ m convinced that the reporters don ’ t want a vaccine , sir .
They don ’ t. ” As of Monday , 4.7 million Americans have tested positive for COVID and over 155,000 people have died .
There has recently been an average of about 1,200 new deaths every day .
Slaoui said on the podcast that the news stories have been “ insulting to the deepest of my personal fibers ” and challenged the media on what they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Caputo singled out one reporter who wrote about Slaoui in particular , Noah Weiland of the New York Times .
“ I can tell you , sir , I will not speak to Noah Weiland .
He calls my phone , I don ’ t answer it .
It ’ s unethical reporting.
” Caputo then turned to Democrats who have questioned Slaoui ’ s contract arrangement , saying they do not want there to be a vaccine until after the November 3 election .
“ I don ’ t want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said before adding “ they don ’ t want a vaccine now because of politics.
” Slaoui said he also didn ’ t want to talk about politics and is focused on discovering a vaccine .
“ I am resentful for actions that knowingly or unknowingly curtail that effort .
That ’ s inappropriate , that ’ s wrong , that ’ s unethical , ” he said .
Caputo then outlined his theory that the media are writing stories about Slaoui to try to get him to leave Operation Warp Speed because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are doing this because they are “ so deeply unethical and so filled with hatred.
” Lest anyone think he was merely being hyperbolic , Caputo stressed that he believes this worldview “ all the way in my aorta.
” Patients Over Pharma is one of the progressive groups that has questioned whether former pharmaceutical executives should oversee a project that will dispense billions of dollars to the industry .
Spokesman Eli Zupnick said Monday that everyone wants Slaoui to succeed but there ’ s no reason he can ’ t do that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Dr .
Slaoui doesn ’ t seem to understand that what he perceives as attacks aren ’ t personal and they aren ’ t ‘ fake news , ’ ” said Zupnick .
“ They are about making sure that the public can trust that Operation Warp Speed is operating in the best interests of patients and public health and not engaging in the cronyism and corruption that is so pervasive through the Trump Administration .
”

The chief adviser to Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s program investing billions of dollars into discovering a coronavirus vaccine, says media scrutiny of his stock ownership may delay a vaccine or make its discovery less likely because it is distracting him from his work.
Moncef Slaoui made the remarks on the official Health and Human Services podcast, released Friday, while being interviewed by Michael Caputo, HHS assistant secretary of public affairs. The interview quickly descended into a lengthy rant about the media.
“The American people need to understand that the media often times are lying to them because they don’t want a vaccine, in order to defeat Donald Trump,” Caputo said at one point.
The two men took extensive issue with news stories about Slaoui. He is working as a contractor voluntarily, drawing payment of only $1. As news reports have outlined, this exempts him from ethics rules that would apply to federal employees.
Slaoui worked for 30 years in senior roles at pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline. He still holds significant stock in the company. The HHS inspector general ruled that he can continue to own stock in the pharmaceutical industry and is exempt from disclosure rules that would apply if he joined the government.
After introductions, the podcast interview pivoted to the media’s treatment of Slaoui. Caputo said that by joining Operation Warp Speed, Slaoui put a target on his back. Slaoui agreed and said he was naive. He said the media attention has distracted him and hurt the development of a vaccine.
“I’m amazed that I’m being attacked on a personal basis in a way that frankly distracts my energy and the energy of all the teams we’re working together with to deliver, and therefore decreases our chances or the speed with which we try to help humanity and the country resolve and address this issue,” he said.
Slaoui said he is convinced the press has only one objective, which is “to distort information in a way that allows them to shape an opinion.”
Caputo then praised Slaoui for working for free and ridiculed the notion of him trying to enrich his former company. “I don’t recognize the media anymore,” he said. “I’m convinced that the reporters don’t want a vaccine, sir. They don’t.”
As of Monday, 4.7 million Americans have tested positive for COVID and over 155,000 people have died. There has recently been an average of about 1,200 new deaths every day.
Slaoui said on the podcast that the news stories have been “insulting to the deepest of my personal fibers” and challenged the media on what they are doing to help during the pandemic. Caputo singled out one reporter who wrote about Slaoui in particular, Noah Weiland of the New York Times. “I can tell you, sir, I will not speak to Noah Weiland. He calls my phone, I don’t answer it. It’s unethical reporting.”
Caputo then turned to Democrats who have questioned Slaoui’s contract arrangement, saying they do not want there to be a vaccine until after the Nov. 3 election. “I don’t want to talk about politics here,” Caputo said before adding “they don’t want a vaccine now because of politics.”
Slaoui said he also didn’t want to talk about politics and is focused on discovering a vaccine. “I am resentful for actions that knowingly or unknowingly curtail that effort. That’s inappropriate, that’s wrong, that’s unethical,” he said.
“It’s inhumane,” said Caputo.
Slaoui responded, “I agree.”
Caputo then outlined his theory that the media are writing stories about Slaoui to try to get him to leave Operation Warp Speed because they want it to fail. Reporters are doing this because they are “so deeply unethical and so filled with hatred.”
Lest anyone think he was merely being hyperbolic, Caputo stressed that he believes this worldview “all the way in my aorta.”
Patients Over Pharma is one of the progressive groups that has questioned whether former pharmaceutical executives should oversee a project that will dispense billions of dollars to the industry. Spokesperson Eli Zupnick said Monday that everyone wants Slaoui to succeed, but there’s no reason he can’t do that while adhering to transparency and ethics guidelines.
“Dr. Slaoui doesn’t seem to understand that what he perceives as attacks aren’t personal and they aren’t ‘fake news,’” said Zupnick. “They are about making sure that the public can trust that Operation Warp Speed is operating in the best interests of patients and public health and not engaging in the cronyism and corruption that is so pervasive through the Trump administration.”


buzzfeed--2020-08-04--Elizabeth Warren Wants To Know Why This Company Was Spying On BLM Protesters

Four lawmakers , including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren , said Tuesday that they have `` serious concerns '' about data-mining company Mobilewalla following a BuzzFeed News story in June that showed the company had used cellphone location data to predict the race , age , gender , and home location of more than 17,000 Black Lives Matter protesters .
In a letter sent Tuesday to Mobilewalla CEO Anindya Datta , Warren , Sen. Ron Wyden , Rep. Mark DeSaulnier , and House Committee on Oversight and Reform Chair Carolyn Maloney demanded more information about the data that the company collects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They also asked which , if any , American and non-American governments have accessed the data .
The lawmakers , who said they were “ concerned that data collected by Mobilewalla or other data brokers could be used to enable state-sponsored retaliation against protesters , ” demanded Datta respond by Aug. 17 .
“ In June , your company released a report that disturbingly revealed that location data collected from cell phones was used to identify specific characteristics of American protesters at Black Lives Matter demonstrations around the United States , ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerns that your company ’ s data could be used for surveillance of Americans engaging in Constitutionally-protected speech.
” As BuzzFeed News reported , Mobilewalla analyzed location information data it collected from thousands of protesters ' cellphones at protests in Minneapolis , New York , Los Angeles , and Atlanta between May 29 and May 31 .
Mobilewalla used this data to predict if protesters were male or female , young adult ( 18–34 ) ; middle-aged ( 35–54 ) , or older ( 55+ ) ; and “ African-American , ” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or “ Asian-American.
” By using long-term location data , Mobilewalla also attempted to predict whether protesters were from the city of the protest or out of town .
These findings were compiled in a report titled “ George Floyd Protester Demographics : Insights Across 4 Major US Cities.
” Asked in June why Mobilewalla conducted this research , Datta offered little in the way of explanation .
“ It ’ s hard to tell you a specific reason as to why we did this , ” he said .
“ But over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the company were watching with curiosity and some degree of alarm as to what ’ s going on.
” In their letter , the lawmakers said Mobilewalla had surveilled people who were “ participating in First Amendment-protected activities . ''
They also suggested that if the company gave cellphone data to a government agency , it may have violated a 2018 Supreme Court ruling which requires police to get a warrant first .
There 's currently no federal law that regulates how data brokers like Mobilewalla can buy , repackage , and sell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ privacy policy , Mobilewalla says it gets people ’ s information by purchasing mobile location data , browsing history , and device information from advertisers , data brokers , and internet service providers .
Using artificial intelligence , the company then analyzes that information to predict people ’ s race , age , gender , zip code , and personal interests .
It sells this information to advertisers to help them target people with ads .
However , Mobilewalla also has a history of working for political groups .
As Motherboard reported , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PACs , including efforts that targeted evangelical voters during the 2016 presidential election .
Mobilewalla CEO Datta said in a podcast interview with Nathan Latka that the company monitored the movements of possible evangelicals on Election Day and told campaign workers how many of them were near a voting location .
Got a tip about Mobilewalla or another location-tracking company ?
You can contact Caroline Haskins on a nonwork device via Signal at +1 785-813-1085 or via email at caroline.haskins @ buzzfeed.com or caroline.haskins @ protonmail.com .
Thousands of people in hundreds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd , often demanding that cities defund their police departments and reallocate that money toward social services and education .
Police have sometimes retaliated against protesters violently , using weapons like tear gas , batons , mace , and their own police vehicles .
In cities like Portland and New York , plainclothes federal offices have arrested demonstrators by sweeping them away in unmarked vans .
In their letter , the lawmakers asked Datta if Mobilewalla has collected and analyzed data from protesters in Portland , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out a report or provide that data to law enforcement .

Four lawmakers, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, said Tuesday that they have "serious concerns" about data-mining company Mobilewalla following a BuzzFeed News story in June that showed the company had used cellphone location data to predict the race, age, gender, and home location of more than 17,000 Black Lives Matter protesters.
In a letter sent Tuesday to Mobilewalla CEO Anindya Datta, Warren, Sen. Ron Wyden, Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, and House Committee on Oversight and Reform Chair Carolyn Maloney demanded more information about the data that the company collects and how it’s used. They also asked which, if any, American and non-American governments have accessed the data.
The lawmakers, who said they were “concerned that data collected by Mobilewalla or other data brokers could be used to enable state-sponsored retaliation against protesters,” demanded Datta respond by Aug. 17.
“In June, your company released a report that disturbingly revealed that location data collected from cell phones was used to identify specific characteristics of American protesters at Black Lives Matter demonstrations around the United States,” the letter read. “We have serious concerns that your company’s data could be used for surveillance of Americans engaging in Constitutionally-protected speech.”
As BuzzFeed News reported, Mobilewalla analyzed location information data it collected from thousands of protesters' cellphones at protests in Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta between May 29 and May 31. Mobilewalla used this data to predict if protesters were male or female, young adult (18–34); middle-aged (35–54), or older (55+); and “African-American,” “Caucasian/Others,” “Hispanic,” or “Asian-American.” By using long-term location data, Mobilewalla also attempted to predict whether protesters were from the city of the protest or out of town. These findings were compiled in a report titled “George Floyd Protester Demographics: Insights Across 4 Major US Cities.”
Asked in June why Mobilewalla conducted this research, Datta offered little in the way of explanation. “It’s hard to tell you a specific reason as to why we did this,” he said. “But over time, a bunch of us in the company were watching with curiosity and some degree of alarm as to what’s going on.”
In their letter, the lawmakers said Mobilewalla had surveilled people who were “participating in First Amendment-protected activities." They also suggested that if the company gave cellphone data to a government agency, it may have violated a 2018 Supreme Court ruling which requires police to get a warrant first. There's currently no federal law that regulates how data brokers like Mobilewalla can buy, repackage, and sell people’s information.
In its privacy policy, Mobilewalla says it gets people’s information by purchasing mobile location data, browsing history, and device information from advertisers, data brokers, and internet service providers. Using artificial intelligence, the company then analyzes that information to predict people’s race, age, gender, zip code, and personal interests. It sells this information to advertisers to help them target people with ads.
However, Mobilewalla also has a history of working for political groups. As Motherboard reported, the company has worked with Republican super PACs, including efforts that targeted evangelical voters during the 2016 presidential election. Mobilewalla CEO Datta said in a podcast interview with Nathan Latka that the company monitored the movements of possible evangelicals on Election Day and told campaign workers how many of them were near a voting location.
Got a tip about Mobilewalla or another location-tracking company? You can contact Caroline Haskins on a nonwork device via Signal at +1 785-813-1085 or via email at caroline.haskins@buzzfeed.com or caroline.haskins@protonmail.com.
Thousands of people in hundreds of cities have demonstrated against police brutality following the killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, often demanding that cities defund their police departments and reallocate that money toward social services and education.
Police have sometimes retaliated against protesters violently, using weapons like tear gas, batons, mace, and their own police vehicles. In cities like Portland and New York, plainclothes federal offices have arrested demonstrators by sweeping them away in unmarked vans.
In their letter, the lawmakers asked Datta if Mobilewalla has collected and analyzed data from protesters in Portland, and if the company planned to put out a report or provide that data to law enforcement.


buzzfeed--2020-08-05--Young Latino Voters Overwhelmingly Support Biden. They’re Just Not Sure He’ll Win.

In a new national survey of Latino voters between the ages of 18 and 34 , a majority of respondents said that they would definitely be voting in the upcoming election and that they ’ re fired up but nervous about the outcome of the race between President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden .
The survey conducted by Telemundo and BuzzFeed News found that 64 % of young Latino voters said they would definitely vote in the upcoming election .
The voters told surveyors that they ’ re feeling enthusiastic and nervous about the upcoming race — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were feeling “ fired up ” about the race and 52 % said that they were feeling nervous .
The poll also found that nonwhite young voters overwhelmingly support Biden ’ s campaign .
Sixty percent of young Latino voters , 75 % of young non-Hispanic Black voters , and 72 % of young non-Hispianic Asian voters said that they would vote for Biden , compared to the respective 19 % , 12 % , and 16 % who said they would vote for Trump .
Forty percent of young non-Hispanic white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , compared to the 48 % who said they would vote for Biden .
While young Latino voters said that they were more likely to vote for Biden in the upcoming election , they are still unsure about what the result will be .
Biden and Trump are separated by just 1 % when the voters were asked who is likely to win the presidential election — 53 % of voters said they believe Biden will win and 52 % said that they think Trump will be reelected .
A large majority — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporters said they believed that Trump supporters would cheat to win the election , while 51 % of Trump supporters said Biden supporters would cheat to win the election .
The poll also asked young Latino voters to name a politician who had “ shown up ” for the Latino community .
The most consistent answer to the question was “ nobody , ” with 33 % , followed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , Biden , and Sen. Bernie Sanders each at 6 % .
The survey questioned 638 people who identified as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ages of 18 and 34 and was conducted from June 5 to June 22 .

The poll also found that nonwhite young voters overwhelmingly support Biden’s campaign. Sixty percent of young Latino voters, 75% of young non-Hispanic Black voters, and 72% of young non-Hispanic Asian voters said that they would vote for Biden, compared to the respective 19%, 12%, and 16% who said they would vote for Trump. Forty percent of young non-Hispanic white people said they would vote for Trump, compared to the 48% who said they would vote for Biden.
While young Latino voters said that they were more likely to vote for Biden in the upcoming election, they are still unsure about what the result will be. Biden and Trump are separated by just 1% when the voters were asked who is likely to win the presidential election — 53% of voters said they believe Biden will win and 52% said that they think Trump will be reelected. A large majority — 73% — of young Latino Biden supporters said they believed that Trump supporters would cheat to win the election, while 51% of Trump supporters said Biden supporters would cheat to win the election.


buzzfeed--2020-08-05--New Emails Detail The Behind-The-Scenes Drama After The Justice Department Recommended A Lesser Sent

WASHINGTON — At 2:59 p.m. on Feb. 11 , Aaron Zelinsky , one of the lead prosecutors in the criminal case against Trump ally Roger Stone , sent an email notifying his supervisor J.P. Cooney that he was withdrawing from Stone ’ s case .
In an email one minute later , according to the time stamp , Cooney tried to stop him .
“ I am not approving of you withdrawing from this case right now , ” Cooney wrote in one of a set of emails obtained by BuzzFeed News through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ filed his withdrawal from the Stone case with the federal district court in Washington .
Three minutes after his email to Cooney , Zelinsky wrote to two assistant US attorneys in Maryland to say that he didn ’ t think Cooney could force him to continue working on Stone ’ s case ; his email made clear he ’ d consulted with them in advance about his decision .
“ As we have discussed , I do not believe that he has the power to compel me to stay in the case , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and from Zelinsky offer new perspective on the flurry of activity that took place behind the scenes after the Justice Department stepped in to overrule its own prosecutors , including Zelinsky , and recommend a lesser sentence for Stone , Trump ’ s ally and former campaign adviser .
The Stone prosecutors had initially recommended that Stone serve seven to nine years in prison for lying to Congress in the Russia investigation and witness tampering , but the Justice Department led by Attorney General Bill Barr walked back that suggestion in court , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign from the president complaining of a “ very unfair situation ” for Stone .
Zelinsky was the first of four prosecutors on the case to withdraw in the wake of DOJ ’ s filing .
The 76 pages of partially redacted emails were turned over to BuzzFeed News by the Executive Office of US Attorneys .
The agency withheld 152 pages in releasing the emails Monday and indicated some of those records are sealed and others were referred to the FBI for review .
The Justice Department intends to make additional monthly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to how the Justice Department handled Stone ’ s case .
The prosecution team filed its original sentencing memo for Stone on Feb. 10 .
Zelinsky testified before the House Judiciary Committee in June that in the days leading up to that filing , he learned that “ leadership ” in the US attorney ’ s office in Washington , which took over the Stone case after special counsel Robert Mueller ended his investigation , was pressuring the prosecution team to seek a less severe punishment .
Zelinsky testified that a supervisor told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the office at the time , Timothy Shea , wanted to give Stone special treatment because Shea was “ afraid of the president.
” After the prosecutors filed their original sentencing memo , Trump publicly protested , tweeting that it was a “ miscarriage of justice.
” The judge ultimately sentenced Stone to 40 months in prison , but Trump commuted that sentence last month , shortly before Stone was set to report to the Bureau of Prisons .
Shea had been in charge of the DC office for a week when the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ d been appointed by Barr to temporarily take over as interim US attorney effective Feb. 3 ; Shea ’ s previous job had been as a counselor to Barr .
Shea is currently serving as acting administrator for the Drug Enforcement Administration .
The emails produced to BuzzFeed News don ’ t include any messages between Zelinsky and Shea .
But Zelinsky did exchange emails with Shea ’ s chief of staff , David Metcalf .
At 2:05 p.m. on Feb. 10 , Metcalf wrote to Zelinsky : “ If you actually want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The rest of Metcalf ’ s message is redacted .
“ What would you like to discuss ?
I am a bit busy because of Stone sentencing memo ( as I ’ m sure you ’ re aware ) , ” Zelinsky replied one minute later .
The second half of his email is redacted .
While that exchange was taking place , Zelinsky was also trading emails with Jonathan Lenzner , an official in the US attorney ’ s office in Maryland .
The contents of those emails are fully redacted , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Re : Looks like they are blinking.
” Zelinsky is an assistant US attorney in Maryland ; he had been part of Mueller ’ s team , and then was specially detailed to the DC office to continue working on the Stone case .
At 3:58 p.m. , it appears Zelinsky and Metcalf hadn ’ t connected yet , because Zelinsky emailed Metcalf to say that he was leaving and could talk by phone .
The documents produced to BuzzFeed News don ’ t indicate if the two men spoke .
The Stone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evening .
Zelinsky told the House Judiciary Committee that he had told “ leadership ” in the US attorney ’ s office that he would withdraw “ rather than sign a memo that was the result of wrongful political pressure , ” and that the prosecution team eventually got approval to file their recommendation .
At 1:48 a.m. on Feb. 11 , Trump published his tweet calling the recommendation a “ miscarriage of justice.
” Later in the morning , Zelinsky testified that the prosecutors learned about media reports that DOJ planned to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emails provided to BuzzFeed News show that at 12:06 p.m. , Michael Marando , another one of the lead prosecutors in Stone ’ s case , emailed Cooney about a tweet from a Fox News reporter that the Justice Department would be changing its sentencing recommendation for Stone .
“ FYI , ” Marando wrote in his message to Cooney .
One minute later , Cooney replied to Marando , “ False.
” Twenty seconds later , according to the timestamps on the emails , Marando forwarded Cooney ’ s response to Zelinsky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Marando and another lead Stone prosecutor , Jonathan Kravis , with a tweet from a CNN reporter that mirrored the Fox News tweet , quoting an unnamed Justice Department official criticizing their sentencing recommendation as “ extreme and excessive ” and “ grossly disproportionate to Stone ’ s offenses.
” Marando , Kravis , and the fourth member of the team , Adam Jed , withdrew from the case on Feb. 11 along with Zelinsky .
After news broke that the prosecution team had withdrawn , Zelinsky received a message of encouragement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , P. Michael Cunningham : “ Very proud of you !
” “ Thanks !
Just doing what any of us would have done in the same circumstance , ” Zelinsky replied .
The final email provided to BuzzFeed News Monday shows Zelinsky appearing to take a jab at Shea the morning after prosecutors filed their sentencing recommendation .
Zelinsky , Marando , Kravis , and Jed , along with Shea , had received a profanity-laced email shortly after 9 a.m. on Feb. 11 from a person whose name is redacted that was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentencing recommendation .
“ Good news , ” Zelinsky wrote to Marando , Kravis , and Jed , “ we know the U.S. Attorney won ’ t get this threat because he doesn ’ t use email.
” Zelinsky and a spokesperson for the US attorney ’ s office in DC did not immediately return requests for comment .
Stone sent BuzzFeed News a statement in response to the release of Zelinsky 's emails , writing that Zelinsky `` needs to stop pretending he is a 'non-political career line prosecutor ' '' and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the State Department during the Obama administration .
As an assistant US attorney , Zelinsky is a career employee of the Justice Department and is not a political appointee .
Stone reiterated his contention that the government 's original sentencing recommendation of seven to nine years in prison was `` excessive . ''
He is continuing to appeal his conviction after having his prison term commuted .


buzzfeed--2020-08-05--The Truth Behind A Viral Picture Of A Reopening School Is Worse Than It Looked

An alarming photo of a hallway crowded by mostly maskless students in a Georgia high school raises issues with reopening schools all around the country .
Behind a viral photo of a crowded hallway at a high school in Georgia , a potentially dire situation is brewing .
Students , teachers , and parents fear the Paulding County school ’ s rushed reopening plans may be spiraling out of control just two days after students — who said they were told they could face expulsion for remaining home — returned to class despite reports of positive coronavirus cases among students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , about an hour outside Atlanta , reopened Monday despite an outbreak among members of its high school football team , many of whom , a Facebook video shows , worked out together in a crowded indoor gym last week as part of a weightlifting fundraiser .
Within days of that workout , several North Paulding players had tested positive for the coronavirus .
The school ’ s parents were notified just hours before the first day of class .
And multiple teachers at North Paulding say there are positive tests among school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came into contact with most teachers at the school while exhibiting symptoms last week .
Teachers and staff said the school won ’ t confirm coronavirus infections among district employees , citing privacy reasons .
`` That was exactly one week ago , so we are all waiting to see who gets sick next week , ” a North Paulding teacher told BuzzFeed News of her exposure to the virus .
Despite recommendations from CDC health officials , the district has called mask-wearing a “ personal choice ” and said that social distancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” in “ most cases.
” While the school provided teachers with face shields and masks and encouraged staff and students to wear them , they are not required and not all teachers have chosen to use them .
One North Paulding teacher resigned last month over concerns about virus safety .
“ Days before school even started , they knew that many of the football players were sick , ” said a person familiar with the issues at the high school .
“ They knew from before day one that it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at North Paulding say they were forced to attend school in person because all of the slots for the district ’ s virtual learning option were filled .
A narrow sign-up window for virtual classes meant many parents missed their opportunity to enroll their children online .
James , a North Paulding senior , said he came to school Tuesday because his mother was unable to enroll him in virtual learning .
He wore a mask , but many of his classmates did not .
And while some classes practiced distancing , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students ’ desks to allow for group work .
His name has been changed in the story because of concerns about retribution from the school .
“ It ’ s the hallway situation that has me most paranoid , ” he said .
“ There ’ s a lot of people in the hallways , and you can ’ t do nothing about it , so it ’ s scary.
” It was a photo of one of those hallways , crammed with largely maskless students and with just a handful of masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ internet Tuesday .
The district superintendent , Brian Otott , sent a message to parents in the wake of the photo .
He offered “ context ” for the photograph : “ Class changes that look like this may happen , especially at a high school with more than 2,000 students.
” There was little the district could do , he said , beyond encouraging masks .
Neither North Paulding High School nor Paulding County Schools responded to multiple requests for comment .
According to a person familiar with North Paulding High School @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hallways were supposed to be one-way ; the photograph was taken in one of the only two-laned hallways in the school .
But the one-lane hallways had their own downsides , causing students to walk long routes between classes — spending more time in exposed common areas .
James ’ parents saw the photograph that had been circulating Tuesday and told him , “ You are not going back to school again , ” he said .
But a few hours later , his mother had spoken to the school and was told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go to school ” could face suspension or expulsion .
On Wednesday , he went back to school .
“ I had no choice , ” he said .
North Paulding teachers said they too felt they had no choice but to show up to work , even after a staff member texted colleagues saying she had tested positive for the virus .
The staffer had attended planning sessions while exhibiting symptoms , one teacher said .
She did not attend school after testing positive .
But teachers have heard nothing from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t confirm that staff members have tested positive , citing privacy concerns .
“ A lot of us are terrified , and they wo n't let us know if we have been exposed until a state contact tracer has contacted us , ” one teacher said .
“ These teachers are deeply concerned for their health , especially the older ones and those with major health problems , ” said a family member of a North Paulding teacher .
Amy , a school nurse , resigned from Paulding County Schools in July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said under the school district ’ s plan , school nurses were supposed to act as contact tracers for thousands of kids and staff , and that a district plan to sequester children believed to be exposed until their parents could pick them up seemed insufficient .
“ I did not want to have any part of that , ” she said .
“ It was completely and totally irresponsible.
” In a resignation letter she shared with BuzzFeed News , she wrote , “ Masks are not a ‘ personal choice ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return knowing I am not supportive of your decision to open so quickly and not at least mandate masks.
” Many other parents and family members of students in Paulding County , however , are not concerned about the risk of attending school in person .
The district said the majority of parents had chosen in-person schooling , despite the overfilling of its virtual schools .
“ We have faith in our governor , ” said Mary Wells , the grandmother of multiple students in the district , referring to Republican Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a great job and the school administrators in Paulding are doing the best they can in this insane time.
” Anthony Fauci , the country ’ s top infectious disease official , has been openly critical of Kemp for his decision this spring to reopen the state , allow indoor dining , and not mandate masks .
The school district cited the fact that the rate of infection in Paulding County is lower than elsewhere in Georgia as part of its reason for deciding to reopen , but cases throughout the state have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counties that border Paulding — including Polk , Cobb , and Bartow — are high .
Many other districts have delayed reopening .
Meanwhile , in Cherokee County , Georgia , a second-grader who went back to school there on Monday has tested positive for COVID-19 , according to CBS News .
Chelsea Gibson has two children attending grade school in Paulding County .
In June , Gibson , her husband , her mother-in-law , and two children all contracted COVID-19 , and her husband ’ s breathing grew so labored that she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergency room .
In the end , the family recovered , although Gibson said she still has residual breathing issues .
The whole family recovered from the virus several weeks before school started .
On Monday , both of her kids went back to school in person .
Because she works full-time and the entire household shares a single desktop computer , Gibson said she didn ’ t even consider the virtual learning option .
“ We couldn ’ t do online at all , ” she said .
“ It wasn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the school council at Northside Elementary , where her kids are enrolled , and she said she feels very confident that the school ’ s plan for keeping students and teachers safe is a good one .
There ’ s limited passing in the halls , most teachers have opted to wear masks , and students ’ lunches are delivered to their classrooms so they don ’ t eat together in the cafeteria .
“ They are going above and beyond , ” she said .
But she ’ s worried the unfolding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make the precautions taken in the grade schools moot and force her kids back home , where they ’ ll once again pick up paper packets from school and be unable to learn from a teacher for months .
“ I feel like they handled that completely wrong , ” she said of the coronavirus outbreak among the football team .
“ These individual schools that are handling it wrong are going to mess it up for the entire district.
” “ In the end it ’ s going to hurt all the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to school , ” she continued .
“ My kids need to go back to school so they can learn.
” As they watched the photograph of their school hallway spread across the Internet , some North Paulding students said they felt their school was being treated unfairly .
Virtual learning was not an option for many low-income students without access to devices , or for students in rural areas with poor Internet access , one student pointed out .
And Kemp himself has refused a mask mandate .
Steven , a North @ @ @ @ @ @ @ middle name be used , said he felt safe going to school without a mask .
Most of the hallways he encountered , he said , were far less crowded than in the one in the photograph .
And the virus itself , he said , didn ’ t seem like “ much of a problem ” in Paulding County .
“ I ’ ve only known three people to get it , other than the football players , obviously , ” Steven said .
“ If I get it , I get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what most people in my area 's ideology is — if we get it , we get it.
” Steven said he didn ’ t want to let worries about spreading the virus to his family control his life .
“ Most of my family , including my grandparents , think the same as well , ” he said .
“ We just go on about our business and keep it out of our mind.
” On Wednesday , the school addressed the controversy that had swirled around the viral photograph via an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ principal Gabe Carmona .
In it , according to two people familiar with the situation , he stated that any student found criticizing the school on social media could face disciplinary consequences .

North Paulding teachers said they too felt they had no choice but to show up to work, even after a staff member texted colleagues saying she had tested positive for the virus. The staffer had attended planning sessions while exhibiting symptoms, one teacher said.
She did not attend school after testing positive. But teachers have heard nothing from the school, they said, which won’t confirm that staff members have tested positive, citing privacy concerns.
“A lot of us are terrified, and they won't let us know if we have been exposed until a state contact tracer has contacted us,” one teacher said.
“These teachers are deeply concerned for their health, especially the older ones and those with major health problems,” said a family member of a North Paulding teacher.
Amy, a school nurse, resigned from Paulding County Schools in July over concerns about virus safety. She said under the school district’s plan, school nurses were supposed to act as contact tracers for thousands of kids and staff, and that a district plan to sequester children believed to be exposed until their parents could pick them up seemed insufficient.
“I did not want to have any part of that,” she said. “It was completely and totally irresponsible.”
In a resignation letter she shared with BuzzFeed News, she wrote, “Masks are not a ‘personal choice’ during a pandemic. I cannot return knowing I am not supportive of your decision to open so quickly and not at least mandate masks.”
Many other parents and family members of students in Paulding County, however, are not concerned about the risk of attending school in person. The district said the majority of parents had chosen in-person schooling, despite the overfilling of its virtual schools.
“We have faith in our governor,” said Mary Wells, the grandmother of multiple students in the district, referring to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. “He has done a great job and the school administrators in Paulding are doing the best they can in this insane time.”
Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease official, has been openly critical of Kemp for his decision this spring to reopen the state, allow indoor dining, and not mandate masks. The school district cited the fact that the rate of infection in Paulding County is lower than elsewhere in Georgia as part of its reason for deciding to reopen, but cases throughout the state have been high and the case numbers in counties that border Paulding — including Polk, Cobb, and Bartow — are high. Many other districts have delayed reopening. Meanwhile, in Cherokee County, Georgia, a second-grader who went back to school there on Monday has tested positive for COVID-19, according to CBS News.
Chelsea Gibson has two children attending grade school in Paulding County. In June, Gibson, her husband, her mother-in-law, and two children all contracted COVID-19, and her husband’s breathing grew so labored that she said she nearly took him to the emergency room. In the end, the family recovered, although Gibson said she still has residual breathing issues.
The whole family recovered from the virus several weeks before school started. On Monday, both of her kids went back to school in person. Because she works full-time and the entire household shares a single desktop computer, Gibson said she didn’t even consider the virtual learning option.
“We couldn’t do online at all,” she said. “It wasn’t feasible.”
The mother is on the school council at Northside Elementary, where her kids are enrolled, and she said she feels very confident that the school’s plan for keeping students and teachers safe is a good one. There’s limited passing in the halls, most teachers have opted to wear masks, and students’ lunches are delivered to their classrooms so they don’t eat together in the cafeteria.
“They are going above and beyond,” she said.
But she’s worried the unfolding disaster at North Paulding High School will make the precautions taken in the grade schools moot and force her kids back home, where they’ll once again pick up paper packets from school and be unable to learn from a teacher for months.
“I feel like they handled that completely wrong,” she said of the coronavirus outbreak among the football team. “These individual schools that are handling it wrong are going to mess it up for the entire district.”
“In the end it’s going to hurt all the students who can’t go back to school,” she continued. “My kids need to go back to school so they can learn.”


buzzfeed--2020-08-05--Instagram Displayed Negative Related Hashtags For Biden, But Hid Them For Trump

“ A technical error caused a number of hashtags to not show related hashtags .
We 've disabled this feature while we investigate.
” For at least the last two months , a key Instagram feature , which algorithmically pushes users toward supposedly related content , has been treating hashtags associated with President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in very different ways .
Searches for Biden also return a variety of pro-Trump messages , while searches for Trump-related topics only returned the specific hashtags , like # MAGA or # Trump — which means searches for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those for Trump do not .
Earlier this week , a search on Instagram for # JoeBiden would have surfaced nearly 390,000 posts tagged with the former vice president ’ s name along with related hashtags selected by the platform ’ s algorithm .
Users searching Instagram for # JoeBiden might also see results for # joebiden2020 , as well as pro-Trump hashtags like # trump2020landslide and # democratsdestroyamerica .
A similar search for # DonaldTrump on the platform , however , provided a totally different experience .
Besides showing 7 million posts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Instagram did not present any related hashtags that would have pushed users toward different content or promoted alternative viewpoints .
The difference between these two results , which an Instagram spokesperson told BuzzFeed News was a “ bug , ” prevented hashtags including # Trump and # MAGA from being associated with potentially negative content .
Meanwhile , Instagram hashtags associated with the Democratic presidential candidate — # JoeBiden and # Biden , for example — were presented alongside content that included overtly pro-Trump content and attacks on the former vice president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidates are treated by the platform raises more questions about how prepared Instagram and its parent company Facebook are for a pivotal US presidential election this November .
After acknowledging it hadn ’ t done enough to prevent election interference during the 2016 presidential race , Facebook has invested heavily in security and get-out-the-vote initiatives for 2020 , an election that CEO Mark Zuckerberg said will “ be unlike any other.
” The Instagram bug , which was first noticed by the Tech Transparency Project , a nonpartisan tech watchdog group , suggests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential candidates have been treated differently since at least June .
In most cases , algorithmically derived related hashtags are displayed to people who search for or click on a given hashtag , pointing them to more content that Instagram believes they might be interested in .
“ What we ’ ve seen with the related hashtags with Biden is that there is so much vitriol , that it appears to be benefitting President Trump , ” said Katie Paul , a director with the Tech Transparency Project .
The fact that related @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump-related phrases also “ removes any possibility that negative hashtags could be associated with his name or campaign slogans , ” she added .
Instagram spokesperson Raki Wane described the issue as a bug on Tuesday .
She pointed out that thousands of hashtags including # artofdrinks and # menshair had also been prevented from populating with related hashtags .
She did not explain why the issue affected Trump hashtags and not those associated with Biden , or how long the problem had persisted .
“ A technical error caused a number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Wane said in a statement Tuesday afternoon .
“ We 've disabled this feature while we investigate.
” Hashtags , which are used regularly on Instagram posts , allow users to group posts into easily searchable categories that can also be followed as one would an account on the platform .
An examination by BuzzFeed News found that Instagram prevented related hashtags from populating for # Trump , which had been used on 14.6 million posts ; # Trump2020 , which had 2.5 million posts ; and # MAGA , which had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hashtag # JoeBiden , which has been used on 390,000 posts , appeared alongside negative hashtags including # creepyjoebiden and # neverbiden , as well as seemingly pro-Biden content like # joebidenforpresident .
A spokesperson for the Biden campaign declined to comment .
While Instagram shielded many Trump-focused hashtags from surfacing related content , some lesser-used hashtags , including # MAGA2020 , which has been placed on 373,000 posts , did bring up related hashtags , among them # trumpderangementsyndrome .
Some Democrat-related hashtags , including # democrats and # pelosi , were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ although # NancyPelosi did have related hashtags — including # clintonbodycount and # qdrops , two taglines associated with known conspiracy theories .
Reached for comment , a Trump campaign spokesperson used the bug as an opportunity to lambaste social media platforms for alleged anti-conservative bias .
“ Social media companies ’ biases consistently make the strongest arguments for the President ’ s Executive Order on Section 230 reform , ” said Ken Farnaso , a Trump 2020 deputy national press secretary , referring to the president ’ s push to end a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for what users post to their platforms .
“ It ’ s preposterous that Silicon Valley , the bastion of diversity and liberalism , is terrified of intellectual diversity and conservative voices.
” Nina Jankowicz , a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars who studies disinformation , said Instagram ’ s admission of a bug shows the company understands its suggestion algorithm impacts the content people consume .
Related hashtags have also been used to spread conspiracy theories on the platform , and has been gamed by bad actors and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t just benignly increase engagement , ” she said of related hashtags .
“ It can lead to a tipping of scales in terms of equitable discourse.
” Instagram is believed to have been the target of foreign influence campaigns in the past .
In 2018 , third-party researchers compiled two reports for the Senate outlining the yearslong campaigns used by Russia ’ s Internet Research Agency to spread disinformation and sow discord .
“ Instagram was perhaps the most effective platform for the Internet Research Agency , ” one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be a key battleground on an ongoing basis.
” While Facebook and Instagram have ramped up investment to protect against election interference and check for disinformation , researchers like Jankowicz believe there ’ s still more to be done .
She advocated for more human review , particularly around political hashtags .
“ In times of crisis or volatile times ahead of an election , this stuff should be going under constant human review , ” she said .
“ It shouldn ’ t be left up to a computer code to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time like this .
”

The difference between these two results, which an Instagram spokesperson told BuzzFeed News was a “bug,” prevented hashtags including #Trump and #MAGA from being associated with potentially negative content. Meanwhile, Instagram hashtags associated with the Democratic presidential candidate — #JoeBiden and #Biden, for example — were presented alongside content that included overtly pro-Trump content and attacks on the former vice president.
The difference in how the presidential candidates are treated by the platform raises more questions about how prepared Instagram and its parent company Facebook are for a pivotal US presidential election this November. After acknowledging it hadn’t done enough to prevent election interference during the 2016 presidential race, Facebook has invested heavily in security and get-out-the-vote initiatives for 2020, an election that CEO Mark Zuckerberg said will “be unlike any other.”
The Instagram bug, which was first noticed by the Tech Transparency Project, a nonpartisan tech watchdog group, suggests that hashtags associated with the two main presidential candidates have been treated differently since at least June. In most cases, algorithmically derived related hashtags are displayed to people who search for or click on a given hashtag, pointing them to more content that Instagram believes they might be interested in.
“What we’ve seen with the related hashtags with Biden is that there is so much vitriol, that it appears to be benefitting President Trump,” said Katie Paul, a director with the Tech Transparency Project. The fact that related hashtags didn’t surface for many Trump-related phrases also “removes any possibility that negative hashtags could be associated with his name or campaign slogans,” she added.
Instagram spokesperson Raki Wane described the issue as a bug on Tuesday. She pointed out that thousands of hashtags including #artofdrinks and #menshair had also been prevented from populating with related hashtags. She did not explain why the issue affected Trump hashtags and not those associated with Biden, or how long the problem had persisted.
“A technical error caused a number of hashtags to not show related hashtags,” Wane said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “We've disabled this feature while we investigate.”
Hashtags, which are used regularly on Instagram posts, allow users to group posts into easily searchable categories that can also be followed as one would an account on the platform.