| THE BIG STORY
The Mueller report’s secret memos
Shortly before the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, BuzzFeed News sued the government. Specifically, we filed five separate Freedom of Information Act lawsuits for all the subpoenas and search warrants that Mueller’s team executed, as well as all the emails, memos, letters, talking points, legal opinions, and interview transcripts it generated.
The good news is: we won. In response to a court order, the Justice Department released the first installment of documents: hundreds of pages of summaries of FBI interviews with witnesses, available for the first time.
The better news is: it’s a lot of documents. Another installment will be released every month — for at least the next eight years.
The first batch of the documents, known as “302 reports,” are summaries of interviews with key players like former White House official and Donald Trump’s campaign manager Stephen Bannon, and Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. They are some of the most important and highly sought-after documents from Mueller’s investigation.
Here are some key takeaways from the first batch:
👉 Way back in 2016, the Trump campaign was talking about the conspiracy theory that Ukraine was involved in the email hack of the Democratic National Committee. Trump brought this up in his now-infamous July 2019 call with Ukraine’s president.
👉 Cohen “had to keep Trump out of the messaging related to Russia.” He told investigators his lies to Congress were “not his idea.”
👉 Bannon told the FBI that Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, vacationed with a Russian oligarch.
It’s a long list — we’ve compiled other key takeaways here.
We are proud to do this work. Support journalism like this by becoming a BuzzFeed News member today. IMPEACHMENT TODAY
In today's episode of our daily impeachment podcast: Let's hear it for the whistleblower. The whistleblower’s identity is a riddle, wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in Federal protection laws. We explain the whistleblower's role in the impeachment mess. Listen and subscribe. STAYING ON TOP OF THIS It looks (and sounds) like Pete Buttigieg has caught up to Joe Biden in Iowa
Advisers to the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana spent the weekend hyping up their candidate in Iowa, the first state to vote on a Democratic candidate. The caucus vote isn’t until February, but this period is all about gathering momentum.
Before the Liberty & Justice gala — known as the LJ, formerly known as the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, and remembered for propelling Barack Obama in 2007 — Buttigieg’s team pushed the narrative that their candidate would have an Obama moment.
This comes after a recent poll showing Buttigieg edging former VP Joe Biden for third, but in a tight four-way race with Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Joshua Lott / Getty Images SNAPSHOTS Trump said he’s naming Chad Smith as his fifth Department of Homeland Security chief. Wolf is the fifth person to lead an agency that has seen an unprecedented level of turnover during the last year and has a stable of acting leaders in key positions.
Beto O’Rourke has ended his presidential campaign. O’Rourke, who began the year as one of the Democratic Party’s stars, struggled to gain traction into the spring and summer. He spoke to his supporters under a “No Fear” sign and told them he’s exiting the race.
Astrologer Walter Mercado has died and people are mourning the loss of an intergenerational icon. Mercado was famous for his televised astrology readings, which were a mainstay in many Latinx households, reaching an estimated 120 million viewers each day. He died at 87.
A mom has gone viral after sharing the heartbreaking question asked by her autistic son. This week, Kerry Bloch’s 21-year-old son David asked his mother his first-ever question — it was, “would someone like me?” Bloch’s tweet about this has gone viral, with so many heartwarming responses.
THE OTHER QUID PRO QUO Trump’s anti-abortion policies have created a nightmare for women in Nepal
Shortly after Donald Trump took office, he activated what is known as the “global gag rule,” which bans US funding for foreign NGOs that provide abortion counseling or referrals.
Trump didn’t create the rule — it goes back to the Reagan administration — but he did make it worse. He expanded it significantly: NGOs that receive funds from the US could no longer use their own non-US funds to refer patients to safe abortions.
In Nepal, where one-third of the GDP comes from remittances, this expansion has had a catastrophic effect. Curtailed USAID funding has led to health care staff reductions and the closure of clinics, and people losing access to conversations about consent, contraception, and HIV.
The most common health complaints brought to gynecologists by women — prolapsed uteruses and other abortion-related complications — are directly related to the information vacuum created as a result of the global gag rule.
We partnered with the Kathmandu Post to reveal the nightmare scenario playing out in Nepal.
AIR-TIGHT ALIBI This little girl came home from school with a new jacket and handled her dad’s investigation like a PRO
Let’s get one thing clear: Mila is the cutest 2-year-old jacket thief you’ll ever see in your life.
When she came home from school wearing a brand new jacket, her father set out to ask just a few questions about this jacket. No worries, though — she was ready for the interrogation.
Where did you get the jacket, Mila? The Jacket Store. How much did you pay for it? Five monies, thank you very much.
The video of the conversation between Mila and her dad went viral and so many people are on Mila’s side. It’s just my favorite thing.
Do what you can to extend empathy and patience to yourself today, 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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