| THE BIG STORY
She stole something while struggling with heroin addiction. Cops turned her into a Facebook meme.
Meghan Burmester was featured on the Harford County Sheriff’s Office “Ladies’ Night” Facebook post for alleged theft under $1,500. The meme-like posts, featuring a handful of women who have open warrants against them, are a big hit with the police department’s 55,000 followers.
Burmester got caught up in a larger trend — police departments have seen how Facebook makes certain content go viral, so official police department Facebook pages celebrate #ThugThursdays, #FelonFridays, and “Ladies’ Night.” They use the distracted boyfriend meme to mock suspects’ physical attributes, names, clothing, facial expressions, and drug addiction issues.
Some of the posts are racist, sexist, and classist. Law enforcement agencies argue that they are successfully using humor and memes to humanize officers and engage the community to get shares.
Criminal justice advocates and policing experts told us it’s at best, unprofessional and at worst, undermines public trust in law enforcement: “These departments are engaging in campaigns of public humiliation.”
STAYING ON TOP OF THIS Trump’s allies have been attacking the person they say is the whistleblower since 2017
The impeachment inquiry began after a whistleblower sent a formal complaint saying President Donald Trump improperly used his office by pressuring the Ukrainian president for dirt on his political opponents in a July call.
The identity of the whistleblower has been subject to speculation. After a conservative website named a 33-year-old former National Security Council staffer as the whistleblower, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted the name, and Republican Sen. Rand Paul demanded the media print the purported whistleblower’s name.
The man Donald Trump Jr. and other prominent Republicans accused of being the whistleblower has actually been a right-wing target since 2017 — when he was accused by a pro-Trump media personality of being “pro-Ukraine and anti-Russia” and leaking damaging information about the administration.
IMPEACHMENT TODAY
Welcome to the Hotel Impeachment. Trump wanted the attorney general to announce that the president didn't break any laws in his July phone call. Because of course. Listen and subscribe to Impeachment Today. SNAPSHOTS The Trump administration launched a secretive program to more quickly deport Mexican asylum-seekers. The pilot program slashes the time Mexicans seeking asylum have to prepare their immigration cases and aims to speed up a decision while in government custody.
Ayanna Pressley broke with “The Squad” to endorse Elizabeth Warren. Last month, three of Pressley’s closest allies in the House — Reps. Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — each publicly endorsed Bernie Sanders. Yesterday, Pressley ended months of speculation and endorsed Warren.
A man was arrested for allegedly groping a Disney princess in Disney World. Brian Sherman, 51, was arrested after a park employee dressed as a Disney character said he'd groped her breast while posing for a photo.
A white man allegedly threw battery acid in a Latino man’s face and told him to go back to his country. Mahud Villalaz, a US citizen, is still recovering from his extensive injuries after an attacker called him an “illegal” and threw acid on him outside a restaurant.
T.I. said he goes to the gynecologist with his daughter every year to “check her hymen.” The rapper and actor said in a podcast interview that he goes with his 18-year-old daughter to the gynecologist and asks about her hymen to make sure it's “still intact.”
THE FULL PICTURE LGBTQ Southerners still face a lot of challenges when it comes to health care
The results from the 2019 Southern LGBTQ Health Survey, which collected responses from people across the gender, sexuality, race, income, and age spectrum, suggested that “LGBTQ-friendly health care exists in the South, but is not universally available.”
The survey is done by the Campaign for Southern Equality and Western NC Community Health Services. Among its revelations:
👉47.5% of transgender respondents said they always or often have to educate their health care provider about LGBTQ identity
👉 Bisexual, pansexual, and queer participants reported far worse mental health experiences than gay, lesbian, and heterosexual respondents
👉 Transgender patients consistently reported poorer physical and mental health, feeling uncomfortable when seeking medical care, and receiving lower-quality care in general.
FROM WAY ABOVE 22 pictures from the fascinating history of aerial photography
People have long been fascinated with seeing the world the way that birds do. Aerial photography has come a long way, and a new book chronicles its evolution.
We collected some of the best photos that demonstrate that evolution, and it’s all so interesting. I’ll let you enjoy all the varied pictures, but can we just take a minute to appreciate this camera-kite from 1889?
Make time for the things that bring you comfort 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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