| THE BIG STORY
Gov. Whitmer accused Trump of inciting domestic terrorism for encouraging “lock her up” chants days after the kidnapping plot against her
On Saturday, President Donald Trump held a rally in Michigan, days after the FBI busted a domestic terror plot to kidnap and potentially murder Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
The governor accused the president of encouraging “lock her up” chants, and told NBC she found Trump’s action “incredibly disturbing” and “dangerous.”
Trump, who has frequently targeted Whitmer's policies to help contain the spread of coronavirus in her state, told the crowd, “You’ve got to get your governor to open up your state and get your schools open.”
This prompted the crowd to chant “lock her up” while Trump smiled and said “lock them all up.”
In a statement to BuzzFeed News, the Trump campaign said that while the plot against the governor was “reprehensible,” it was “also true that the people of Michigan want their economy opened back up.”
STAYING ON TOP OF THIS Why does the Electoral College still exist?
We’re two weeks and a day away from the 2020 presidential elections, and it seems like a good time to remind readers that because of the Electoral College system, voters in the US are not actually voting for former vice president Joe Biden or President Donald Trump — voters cast their votes for electors, who in turn cast their votes for president.
On five occasions, the winner of the popular vote and the winner of the Electoral College have not been the same — including in 2000 and in 2016. It could easily happen again in 2020.
Polls have regularly found a majority of Americans dislike the Electoral College and would prefer to elect the president by popular vote. Here’s everything you need to know about the efforts to change the Electoral College.
SNAPSHOTS 21 white supremacists were charged with selling and distributing drugs and guns in Utah. The indicted white supremacists represented multiple different gangs. US Attorney John Huber said, “Unfortunately, this is a Utah product. White supremacy gangs, we own it and we aren’t proud of it.”
A Wichita man allegedly threatened to kidnap and kill the mayor over the city’s mask mandate. Police confirmed that Meredith Dowty, 59, was arrested on suspicion of threatening to kidnap and kill the mayor over the city's order to wear masks in most public places.
A security guard will be charged with murder for a fatal shooting at a Denver protest. Matthew Dolloff, a private security guard hired by the news outlet 9News, will be charged with murder after allegedly shooting a protester at dueling demonstrations in Denver last week.
Users on a site for kinky people say the racism on the platform has become unsustainable. FetLife, a popular social network for kinky people, has been accused of not doing enough to stop racist hate speech on the platform.
It’s a US territory where the coronavirus never arrived — but some residents can’t get home. The remote US territory of American Samoa has not recorded a single case of COVID-19 after shutting itself off to the world in March. Even some locals can't get home.
DANGEROUS REALITIES Endless wait times at an immigrant camp on the Mexico border are pushing people to make desperate choices
The wait in Matamoros, Mexico is dangerous. Thousands of immigrants and asylum-seekers, many from Central America, Cuba, and Venezuela, live in donated tents in city streets and parks, while the threat of being kidnapped by criminal groups looms.
Immigrants endured these conditions even though their US immigration cases dragged on for months. The wait was difficult, but at least there was the promise of a future court date.
That’s gone now. Citing the coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration stopped holding hearings indefinitely. Combine that with dangerous conditions inside the camp, and immigrants have been driven to try and enter the US undetected.
That desperation has forced some to pay smugglers to get them into the US, a route immigrant families generally avoided because they couldn’t afford it, and because of how dangerously remote the routes are in order to avoid being caught by Border Patrol agents.
A BEAUTIFUL LOVE John Legend returned to social media with an emotional post about his relationship with Chrissy Teigen Last month, Chrissy Teigen shared with her followers that she and husband John Legend had lost their third baby — a boy they had named Jack — following her hospitalization due to pregnancy complications.
The couple understandably retreated from public life following their tragedy, but this week, John Legend returned to social media and posted a lengthy, heartbreaking and emotional note to Chrissy.
“I have faith that as long as we walk this earth, we will hold each other’s hands through every tear, through every up and down, through every test,” Legend wrote. The whole thing is so beautiful.
Spend time rooting yourself in your values, 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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