| THE BIG STORY The latest Supreme Court ruling in favor of religious employers has LGBTQ advocates worried In June, the US Supreme Court ruled that employers generally can’t discriminate against employees based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It was a significant victory for LGBTQ Americans.
But here’s the thing: The court made clear that the June ruling didn’t resolve whether employers could successfully claim religious grounds for workplace discrimination in the future.
Yesterday — less than a month after the previous ruling — the court ruled to expand exemptions for religious employers facing discrimination claims. In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court found that religious schools should have leeway to decide whether a teacher is the type of religious leader covered by the “ministerial exception” to employment laws.
Advocates told us that Wednesday’s decision was a sign that the court would side with religious employers in cases involving LGBTQ workers going forward.
STAYING ON TOP OF THIS Transcripts show George Floyd told police he couldn’t breathe more than 20 times: “I’ll probably just die this way.”
According to new transcripts of body camera footage filed in court, George Floyd told Minneapolis police officers he couldn't breathe more than 20 times before they noticed he had passed out.
Video footage of police pinning Floyd to the ground in a knee chokehold, ultimately killing the 46-year-old Black man, sparked outrage and weeks of nationwide protests.
Transcripts of body camera footage show that Floyd had told officers at least 27 times that he couldn't breathe before passing out and dying.
“I'm scared as fuck, man,” Floyd told the officers. “Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead.”
People demonstrate outside the burning Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct building, May 28. John Minchillo / AP SNAPSHOTS A Christian summer camp shut down after 82 kids and staff got the coronavirus. The Kanakuk camp in Lampe, Missouri, had promised kids ages 13–18 fun activities and Bible studies, but campers were sent home last week due to a coronavirus outbreak.
A disturbing video shows how a 16-year-old Black boy was violently restrained over a sandwich before dying. Cornelius Fredericks died in May, two days after several members of a Michigan youth facility pinned him to the ground and sat on him for more than 10 minutes. The video is quite disturbing.
The driver who hit two protesters with his car, killing one, was charged with homicide. Dawit Kelete, who is accused of driving his car onto a closed freeway in Seattle and hitting two protesters, was charged with vehicular homicide after one of the victims died.
Tulsa’s top health official said Trump’s rally likely contributed to the surge in COVID-19 cases there. On Monday, there were 261 cases — a record high for Tulsa county. A health official told reporters that President Donald Trump’s rally and the protests associated with the event “more than likely” contributed to the surge in coronavirus cases.
Trump's rally in Tulsa. Nicholas Kamm / Getty Images OUR BOOKS NEWSLETTER So you're looking for a good book but you don't want to text that one friend who knows the best books, because you badgered them just last week. We've all been there. That's why we'll volunteer our great book recommendations to you. In fact, we can't wait to tell you all about 'em. Sign up for our Books newsletter for reviews and recommendations. "AMERICA IS READY TO KICK ME OUT" International students are trying to cope with Trump’s online class rule On Monday, the Trump administration announced that foreign students whose schools have switched to exclusively online classes amid the pandemic would have to leave the country.
The new policy puts more than a million international students in the US at risk of deportation — all amid a global pandemic that has severely restricted air travel, no less. Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in an effort to halt the new policy.
If students are forced to return home, many will be on different time zones from their schools, and in locations where internet access might be spotty, making it harder for them to follow the course than if they were in the US.
We talked to international students who told us how they’ll be affected by the policy.
NEARING THE BREAKING POINT It’s impossible to have a job and a kid in this pandemic The coronavirus has laid bare the unreasonable expectations placed on parents who struggle in trying to balance work and parenting.
Things were reaching a breaking point before the pandemic, but when suddenly parents were expected to work at home while parenting at home, it became clear how untenable the ask is.
Our podcast News O’clock talked to Deb Perelman about her New York Times essay on the stark choice facing parents: their kids or their jobs. It’s a great conversation, well worth your time.
Pay attention to the cues that you might be stretched too thin, Elamin P.S. If you like this newsletter, help keep our reporting free for all. Support BuzzFeed News by becoming a member here. (Monthly memberships are available worldwide). 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Elamin Abdelmahmoud and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
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