THE BIG STORY

The truth behind a viral picture of a reopening school is somehow worse that it looked

A few days ago, an alarming photo of a hallway crowded by maskless students in a Georgia high school went viral. The photo immediately raised issues with reopening schools all around the country.

Our reporters looked into it further — and it turns out the situation at North Paulding High School, about an hour outside Atlanta, is worse than what the picture showed.

The school reopened despite a coronavirus outbreak among members of its high school football team. The school’s parents were notified just hours before the first day of class.

On top of that, multiple teachers at North Paulding say there are positive tests among staff, including a staff member who came into contact with most teachers while exhibiting symptoms last week.

The district has called mask-wearing a “personal choice.” Students, teachers, and parents fear the rushed reopening plans may be spiraling out of control just two days after students returned to class. But students said they were told they could face suspension or expulsion for remaining home.

STAYING ON TOP OF THIS

Dramatic photos show the devastating aftermath of the Beirut explosion

Dozens of people were killed and thousands more injured after a massive explosion tore through Beirut on Tuesday. The explosion left entire neighborhoods pulverized, in a nation facing political and economic crises, as well as the coronavirus pandemic.

We collected photos that show the extent of the damage and devastation.

Getty Images

SNAPSHOTS

Joe Biden won’t travel to Milwaukee for the Democratic National Convention. No speakers will attend the convention in Milwaukee, though the party still plans to hold at least some events in the city. Biden will accept the Democratic nomination for president in Delaware because of the coronavirus.

A police officer showed coworkers explicit pictures of a college student after she reported being extorted. After Lauren McCluskey told police someone was trying to extort her with the pictures, a University of Utah police officer showed the photos to his colleagues. McCluskey was killed by an ex-boyfriend in 2018, just days after she filed the report.

The FBI raided Jake Paul’s mansion in Calabasas as part of their investigation into his night at the Arizona mall. In June, Paul was charged in connection with the looting of a mall in Scottsdale, Arizona. Yesterday, the FBI raided Paul’s California home as part of the investigation into the looting incident.

A woman is suing Takeoff, a member of Migos, alleging he raped her at a party. The woman, identified as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, alleged she was lying in a bed when Takeoff entered the room, and, despite her “clearly and unequivocally” refusing his advances, touched her and raped her.

Instagram has launched Reels, its TikTok rip-off. Just like TikTok, Reels lets people record 15-second clips, sync them with music or audio effects, and share them. But there is a crucial difference: Reels isn’t a separate app — it’s built right into Instagram. The vibe, though, is exactly like TikTok.

"WE ARE NUMBERS TO THEM"

There’s been a major increase in the use of force against immigrants at ICE detention centers during the pandemic

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement does not compile data from use-of-force incidents within detention centers nationwide.

However, BuzzFeed News reviewed internal government reports and found that there has been a substantial increase in uses of force during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to our review of internal reports, since the end of March through the beginning of July, guards at detention centers across the country deployed force — pepper spray, pepper balls, pepper spray grenades — in incidents involving more than 10 immigrants at a time on a dozen occasions.

In one event, detention guards pepper-sprayed underneath a door after some detainees protested being isolated due to potential COVID-19 exposure, according to a report.

RUFF REPORT

A woman sent her dog to daycare to help him socialize during quarantine, and she got so much more than she expected

It became so much harder for Natasha Serrano to socialize her dog Ryder during the times of social distancing. So on the recommendation of a friend, she sent Ryder to a doggy daycare.

As it turns out, she got so much more than she was hoping for. The daycare sent home a report card of how Ryder spends his time, and she was so entertained by the report card that she made a TikTok of how much she loves it.

Her joy became the internet’s joy as her TikTok went viral, and I think you’re going to love it, too.

Be intentional with where you expend your energy today,

Elamin