The Incredible Shrinking CDC

THE BIG STORY

The CDC lost control of the pandemic. Then the agency disappeared.

We're now deep into June — nearly five months after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's first public briefing on the novel coronavirus. Over 2 million people in the US have been infected by it, and more than 120,000 people have died from it.

How did the world's most trusted public health agency get its response so wrong? And why has it disappeared from view, even as new cases surge across the country?

Reporters Dan Vergano and Zahra Hirji break down the bungled response that got us here.

Peter Aldhous / BuzzFeed News

STAYING ON TOP OF THIS

Elijah McClain died in police custody in August. Millions of people are now demanding justice.

The Black 23-year-old was walking home on Aug. 24, 2019, when he was stopped by three Aurora, Colorado, police officers. The officers told him he was "being suspicious," and attempted to pat him down.

One of the officers then placed McClain in a carotid hold, or chokehold, a move in which pressure is applied to the neck, restricting blood flow to the brain. McClain passed out in the hold, prompting the officers to call for medical assistance. Paramedics arrived and injected McClain with ketamine to sedate him. Soon after the injection, paramedics noticed that McClain was no longer breathing. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he died three days later.

Now more than 2 million people have signed a petition urging officials in Aurora to conduct a new investigation into his death.

• Before protesters chanted her name on the streets, Breonna Taylor was "making things happen" for herself.

• A man with bipolar disorder who was tased by police multiple times went into cardiac arrest and died.

• A police officer allegedly walked up behind a Black man, slammed him to the ground, and broke his wrist after mistaking him for a suspect.

• The three men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery have been indicted on murder charges.

• A 16-year-old boy died after staff at a youth facility restrained him. Now three people are facing charges.

SNAPSHOTS

Disneyland will not be reopening in mid-July as the company had planned, as California has seen a troubling spike in the number of COVID-19 infections.

More than 100 protesters camped out overnight next to City Hall in New York City on Tuesday, demanding a billion-dollar cut to the New York Police Department budget.

Jenny Slate apologized for voicing a Black character on Big Mouth and resigned from the Netflix show.

The Boston City Council has banned the city government, including police, from using facial recognition technology. The move makes Boston the largest city on the East Coast to do so.

Dozens of Twitch streamers have pledged to go dark on Wednesday in protest after widespread allegations of sexual abuse against some of the platform's top personalities.

GENERAL COMPLAINTS

Attorney General Bill Barr is facing a rare public revolt from within his own department.

In less than a week, Attorney General Bill Barr has faced two instances of extraordinary public pushback from within his own department. Just days before two current Justice Department prosecutors testified that decisions Barr and others had been improperly influenced by President Donald Trump, the then-sitting US attorney in Manhattan, Geoffrey Berman, tweeted to publicly rebuke an effort by Barr to remove him from office.

It’s common to see former political appointees and prosecutors criticize policies and prosecutorial decisions that they disagree with once they leave the department. It’s highly unusual to have current employees and officials air grievances in such a public way.

CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE

Black TikTokers who create viral dances are asking the platform's most popular teens to credit their work.

Dance creators on TikTok — many of whom are Black and people of color — are asking to be properly recognized for viral dances that the most popular TikTokers are directly benefiting from.

Now, many of them are calling the issue out directly on the platform. Some told BuzzFeed News that proper crediting is important because dances are no longer a frivolous pastime on the platform, but a way to become famous and make real money.

"It’s like you make something and it comes from you and your soul or your brain, and someone else who is more popular or in a different position takes it and you don’t get recognized for it," Bryan Sanon, the creator of the recent “100 Racks” challenge craze, told BuzzFeed News.

Credit like the creator is watching,

Brandon

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📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Brandon Hardin and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
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