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| THE BIG STORY
Democrats kicked Marjorie Taylor Greene off of her House committees. All but 11 Republicans voted to support her.
In the past few months, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene became a national figure for becoming the first person to be elected to Congress who had been a follower of the QAnon mass delusion.
In 2018, Greene also expressed doubt that a “so-called plane” crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11. She agreed with a Facebook comment that the Parkland school shooting was a “false flag planned shooting.”
On Thursday, the House of Representatives voted to remove Greene from her roles on two House committees. It was looking like an almost-party line vote, but then, in the last minute, a group of 11 Republicans voted with Democrats for her removal.
In a speech before the vote, Greene said she walked away from QAnon by the end of 2018, something she has argued before, despite sharing pro-QAnon articles since.
She will remain a member of Congress, but after Thursday’s vote she will no longer serve on the Education and Labor Committee or the Budget Committee, reducing her power in the House. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images HELP US PURSUE GOVERNMENT SECRETS
Our journalists filed 58 Freedom of Information Act lawsuits during Trump's presidency — more than any other media organization in the US. We have no plans to slow down, but pursuing that work is expensive and time consuming. STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
Biden is increasing the number of refugees allowed into the US after Trump decimated the program
First, here’s the context: In the final year of the Obama administration, the cap for refugees allowed into the US was at 110,000. The Trump presidency quickly decimated the refugee program, though, and by 2018, Trump had set it to 30,000.
Trump reduced it further in his last year, to just 15,000 for the current fiscal year — the fewest since the US began the program in 1980.
SNAPSHOTS
Supporters of Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez are flooding the #AOClied hashtag with adorable pet photos. Right-wing politicians and pundits are claiming Ocasio-Cortez exaggerated her account of the Capitol insurrection. Her supporters are fighting back with the power of cute pets.
A maskless man was refused service at a restaurant. He allegedly came back armed and stole chicken and waffles. According to employees and surveillance footage, the man left then reentered the restaurant's back entrance with a firearm. A cook told ABC, “He comes straight toward me with a gun, pointing at me and saying, ‘Put all the chicken in the bag.’”
Home Alone 2 actor Donald Trump resigned from the Screen Actors Guild in a petty letter. The labor union, which had recently moved to revoke Trump's membership for inciting the Capitol insurrection, responded to the letter with a simple "thank you."
Ryan Coogler, the director and writer behind Black Panther, is developing a TV series set in Wakanda for Disney+. There is little to do but rejoice and wait.
APPS TAKEN DOWN
Google and Apple have caved to Pakistani pressures to take down apps made by a persecuted religious minority
Pakistan’s telecommunications regulator has been targeting the Ahmadiyya Muslim community.
Let's start with the background: There are about 4 million adherents in Pakistan, called Ahmadis. Though Ahmadis identify as Muslim, Pakistan’s government views them as heretics. A 1984 ordinance forbids them from “posing” as Muslims, and even forbids referring to their houses of worship as mosques.
Over the last two years, the government of Pakistan has forced Google and Apple to take down apps in the country created by developers based in other nations who are Ahmadis.
Ahmadis have faced persecution in Pakistan for decades. But the pressure on tech companies from Pakistan’s telecom regulator signals a new willingness to target religious minorities beyond its borders.
It is also one of the first examples of governments using anti-blasphemy rules to force international tech companies to censor content. HANG IN THERE
Reading material to pass the time until spring comes
Why the “Driver’s License” love triangle drama matters. You’ve heard the song by now, and you’ve heard about the real life drama behind it. Alessa Dominguez wrote about how “it’s post–Taylor Swift messiness now playing out on TikTok,” and what the whole episode says about pop music.
“I’m too emotional for my own good”: A Q&A with Catherine Cohen. Our books editor Arianna Rebolini was texting with the comedian, cabaret star, and writer about earnestness, comedy, and the reasons we stay alive. The text interview is a great time.
21 excellent books out in paperback this month. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel, Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall, My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell, and plenty more. I hope you feel grounded enough to be your own advocate today, Elamin 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Elamin Abdelmahmoud and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
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