| THE BIG STORY Trump signed executive orders he says will give coronavirus relief. But it’s unclear what they’ll actually do. On Saturday, President Donald Trump signed four executive orders intended to bypass Congress to provide economic relief to Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. But there is uncertainty over whether his office has the power to enact some of these directives.
One order in particular would provide $300 in expanded weekly unemployment checks, with states asked to foot another $100, using money from the Disaster Relief Fund under FEMA. The order is intended to partially extend coronavirus relief in the CARES Act, which expired after Congress failed to come to a deal in July.
But the announcement was met with confusion, in part because Congress alone has the power to authorize funding for different programs, despite Trump's claims of broad economic relief.
When asked about potential legal action against his executive orders, Trump said, “If we get sued, it's somebody that doesn't want people to get money. And that's not going to be a very popular thing.”
STAYING ON TOP OF THIS Belarusians clashed with riot police after their “dictator” president claimed victory
President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron first for 26 years, claimed a landslide victory in the election, which was marred by accusations of vote-rigging.
The country’s election commission said preliminary results indicated Lukashenko won 80% of the vote while his opposition earned just 9%. Authorities did not allow any independent observers to monitor the vote.
According to the surprise challenger, former English teacher Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, and independent local media reports that published documents with the tallies, several precincts in the capital Minsk showed her with 70% to 80% of the vote.
Many thousands of her supporters spilled into the streets of Minsk and other cities across the country after polls closed, and were met with violence from riot police. 👉 You should also read: Tikhanovskaya rose from obscurity after the jailing of her would-be candidate husband, a popular vlogger, to gather the largest political rallies in Belarus since the fall of the Soviet Union Riot police disperse protesters. Siarhei Leskiec / Getty Images SNAPSHOTS Nine people have tested positive for COVID-19 at that Georgia high school that went viral for crowded hallway photos. The school suspended in-person classes for two days after six students and three staff members tested positive for the virus.
US intelligence officers say Russia is trying to undermine Joe Biden’s candidacy in the 2020 election. China, meanwhile, “prefers” that Trump does not win reelection and is “expanding” its own efforts, an intelligence community leader said.
An anti-mask “agency” told a grocery store worker she could be sued for asking people to wear masks. In a now-viral TikTok, members of the “Freedom To Breathe Agency,” which the Department of Justice has issued a warning about, were seen telling a store employee she could face legal action for asking customers to wear masks.
NikkieTutorials and her fiancé were robbed at gunpoint in their Netherlands home. Beauty influencer Nikkie de Jager and her fiancé Dylan Drossaers were both home when the robbery occurred. She wrote that they were both “attacked but physically we're okay. Mentally, it's a whole other story.”
"THIS IS OUR WESTBORO BAPTIST" Viral video seemed to show Black Lives Matter storming a church. The real story is much darker. The clip that went viral purports to show protesters invading a church, screaming “Black Lives Matter” and even abusing parishioners. One demonstrator is filmed calling a church member “a dumb fuck.”
It was quickly picked up by conservative and fringe media, and the coverage took on variations on the same theme: This is the real BLM, and they’re coming for your churches next.
But viral videos are missing context. Anne Helen Petersen spent time getting to the bottom of it. As one local told her, “It’s wild that the national story is that there’s a bunch of Marxists attacking Christians in the street. Everyone here knows that this is our Westboro Baptist.”
The day of the video, the church was getting ready to host an AR-15 “raffle” in a neighborhood stricken with gun violence. The protesters were invited inside by the pastor, a self-proclaimed “bigot” who believes that Black people were cursed by god.
Here’s the full story behind the video, and the decades of tensions that led to the viral moment.
WHY THOUGH? Kylie Jenner made an appearance in Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s new “WAP” music video, and the people said “nope!” The song was received with a lot of joy for many reasons, most especially because it’s an obvious and indisputable banger.
But while there was a lot of love for the Cardi and Meg collab, there were internet side-eyes at Kylie Jenner’s cameo in the video.
The cameo drew a range of reactions: genuine shock, hilarious aversion, and valid criticism about cultural appropriators being “accepted” by Black stars. Cardi defended the cameo.
Give yourself room to be creative, 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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