 THE BIG STORY
Secret documents show how terrorist supporters use bitcoin — and how the government is scrambling to stop them
The Treasury Department found that an ISIS propagandist who called himself Azym Abdullah used bitcoin to set up a website for posting beheading videos, and visitors to the site could donate the cryptocurrency to help keep it running.
Abdullah’s reliance on bitcoin is documented in a 2017 Treasury Department intelligence assessment, which was received by BuzzFeed News as part of a cache of documents that includes internal emails and reports about cryptocurrency.
The documents provide insight into the US government's ongoing, sometimes lagging, battle to counteract the use of crypto technology to foster terrorism and crime, as well as the variety of ways that crypto — with its presumed anonymity and ease of transfer around the globe — can be used for nefarious purposes.  The office of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, part of the US Treasury Department, in Vienna, Virginia. Alex Fradkin for BuzzFeed News 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
Texas Rep. Ron Wright has become the first sitting member of Congress to die after getting COVID-19
Two weeks ago, Wright, who had cancer, and his wife, Susan, were admitted to Baylor Hospital in Dallas after contracting the virus. In a statement to media outlets, Wright’s office said that he died peacefully with Susan by his side.
Wright's last vote in Congress was against impeaching Donald Trump on the charge of inciting a riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, CNBC reported. He was also one of 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the election results by objecting to certify the Electoral College votes for Joe Biden after the riot. SNAPSHOTS
Tom Brady and Serena Williams have been dragged into a debate about who is the greatest athlete of all time. What's better, seven Super Bowl wins or 23 Grand Slam singles titles and four gold medals?
A man charged in the Capitol riot won't go to jail after his InfoWars appearance violated a judge's orders. The judge said she didn’t believe the evidence showed that John Earle Sullivan posed a danger to the community.
Gorilla Glue said it's "sorry" to hear about the woman who accidentally glued her hair in place. Some people are asking the company to do something for Tessica Brown, whose misfortunes have gone viral.
Twitter is in a standoff with the Indian government, which is demanding some accounts be restricted. In its first official response, the company said, "The tweets must continue to flow."
AND NOW, SOME WORDS FROM ELAMIN
If Morgan Wallen’s racism won't bring a reckoning to country music, what will?
The country singer is apparently sorry again after TMZ posted a video that featured Wallen drunkenly (and vigorously) using the n-word to refer to a person in his group. The country establishment moved quickly to distance itself from Wallen, putting him in, for all intents and purposes, a very firm timeout.
"That there is swift and serious action on the part of country music’s establishment to get itself away from Wallen’s racist behavior seems promising," Elamin writes. "But to take it as an indication that country music is ready for some kind of racial reckoning is to seriously underestimate how much the genre is in love with white men in search of redemption." TAKING IT OFF THEN PUTTING IT BACK ON
A lingerie brand says TikTok is removing its content featuring plus-size women and women of color
A spokesperson for New York-based Adore Me shared a thread on Twitter that had examples of videos that the brand said it had uploaded to TikTok and that were subsequently removed for breaching the platform's guidelines.
“At first we just kind of assumed, lingerie, a new platform, maybe they’re being more aggressive on brand safety,” Ranjan Roy, the company's VP of strategy, told BuzzFeed News.
In response to Adore Me's complaints, TikTok put back up three videos it said it had removed in error. A TikTok spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that the company is committed to promoting "body acceptance" — but didn't specify what errors led to the content's removal in the first place. Save a bit of forgiveness for yourself, 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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