 THE BIG STORY
Now we know what a Super Bowl during a pandemic looks like
If you've spent the past almost-one-year limiting visits with family and friends (Hi!), the sight of a packed stadium for the Super Bowl was jarring — even if most of those in the stands were cardboard cutouts.
The thirty thousand cutouts enforced social distancing among the thousands of fans in attendance, which included 7,500 vaccinated healthcare workers. Tickets to the game were one of several nods to essential workers; poet Amanda Gorman, who captured the world's attention at President Joe Biden's inauguration last month, delivered a poem in their honor.
For a lot of folks, the game was like the workweek: just waiting for The Weeknd. He didn't disappoint in his halftime show, and the memes and the tweets were quick to follow.
 Spot the real people in the Super Bowl crowd. Charlie Riedel / AP HELP OUR FIGHT FOR TRANSPARENCY
Our journalists filed 58 Freedom of Information Act lawsuits during Trump's presidency — more than any other media organization in the US. We have no plans to slow down, but pursuing that work is expensive and time consuming. STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
Donald Trump’s business sought a stake in Parler before he would join
The Trump Organization negotiated on behalf of then-president Trump to make Parler his primary social network, but it had a condition: an ownership stake in return for joining, according to documents and four people familiar with the conversations.
The deal was never finalized, but legal experts said the discussions alone, which occurred while Trump was still in office, raise legal concerns with regards to anti-bribery laws. Documents seen by BuzzFeed News show that Parler offered the Trump Organization a 40% stake in the company. It is unclear as to what extent the former president was involved with the discussions. SNAPSHOTS
The official overseeing Biden's daily briefings previously defended the CIA's false intelligence about torture. Intelligence officials praise Morgan Muir and his record, but a former Senate investigator said Muir cannot be trusted to “convey accurate information.”
Two cheerleaders in Netflix's Cheer have been charged with sex crimes involving minors. Robert Joseph Scianna Jr. and Mitchell Ryan were separately arrested and charged this week.
A man died after he was shot during what his friend said was supposed to be a YouTube prank robbery. According to Nashville police, Timothy Wilks and a friend approached a group of people, including the man who shot him, with butcher knives.
SOUTH OF THE BORDER
A judge will let one of the alleged Capitol rioters go on a "work-related bonding" trip to Mexico
In a one-page order granting Jenny Cudd's request to leave the country, US District Judge Trevor McFadden noted that prosecutors and the pretrial services office didn't oppose the request.
Cudd, who owns a flower shop in Midland, Texas, was originally charged with two misdemeanors, but she was indicted this week on five federal charges in connection with the assault on the Capitol. SENDING OUT AN SMS
Bridgerton is inspiring couples to rev up their sex lives
I was gonna kick this promo off with the opening of this story, but it's too steamy. This is a family newsletter and also, look, no one should be confronted with another couple's erotic texts first thing Monday morning (that's more of a Wednesday bit). All you need to know is the word "loins" appears.
But reporter Krystie Lee Yandoli spoke to couples who have found a bit of fire thanks to Shonda Rhimes's romance series about the Bridgerton family in high-society London in the early 1800s, and it's a delight. As eggplant emoji user Najee Patton says: "It’s good that Bridgerton helps show guys that it’s OK to open up and be a little more romantic."We're all charging into this Monday together, Brandon 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Brandon Hardin and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
👉 Your support of BuzzFeed’s journalism does not constitute a charitable donation, and your contribution is not eligible for a tax-deduction. This is part of an effort to explore a deeper relationship with our most active supporters. BuzzFeed, Inc.
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