Joking at a time like this
 THE BIG STORY
The NCAA lost a major Supreme Court case about how student-athletes are compensated
In the end, the Supreme Court's decision was unanimous. All 9 judges agreed the NCAA's limits on the kinds of education-related payments schools can make to compensate athletes violate antitrust laws.
This decision is relatively narrow in scope — it doesn't mean that NCAA athletes will start drawing salaries for playing, nor will it affect the ongoing battle over whether players can profit off of their own names or likenesses.
But here's the significant change: the ruling will mean that schools can do a lot more to attract and compensate students who play NCAA Division One basketball and football. It's a significant step for advocates who have pushed to compensate NCAA student-athletes.
For student-athletes, the change is huge. Schools were already allowed to compensate athletes with scholarships to pay for the cost of attendance, but now schools can also pay for things like computers, musical instruments, graduate programs, and other education-related costs.
Schools can also fund internships after student-athletes have finished playing for the school.  The National Championship game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on April 5 in Indianapolis. Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
Here's the history of Britney Spears' conservatorship and the #FreeBritney movement
On Wednesday, Britney Spears is expected to make a rare address to a judge in Los Angeles, as she attempts to get out from under her father's control.
Britney Spears' life has been controlled by her father for over a decade. If you're unfamiliar with the facts: 13 years ago, Britney was placed in a rare court-appointed conservatorship, and lost power over her vast fortune and business dealings. It's a move her father, Jamie Spears, and others argued was necessary to protect her from grifters and other potential pitfalls while she focused on her health.
Since then, Britney has said very little publicly. Meanwhile, her fans have grown more restless over a legal situation they think has entrapped a beloved star.
SNAPSHOTS
It's election day in New York City, but results won't be finalized until next month. The shift to ranked-choice voting, thousands of absentee ballots, and the not-so-shiny history of the Board of Elections could mean weeks before a winner is official.
Trump can't be sued over the violent clearing of Lafayette Square last summer, a judge said. Black Lives Matter DC and individual protesters who were forcibly removed had sued Trump and other officials involved in clearing the park. The judge found there wasn't enough evidence that Trump and other officials had conspired to violate protesters' rights.
Eight climate change demonstrators were arrested after they protested on Ted Cruz's lawn. A group of 60 to 70 people had congregated outside Cruz's house on Monday to call on President Joe Biden to stop negotiating with "climate deniers" like the senator. Houston police said a small group broke the law by trespassing on Cruz's private property.
The Raiders' Carl Nassib came out, becoming the first openly gay active player in the NFL. The 28-year-old defensive end with the Las Vegas Raiders made the announcement in an Instagram post, telling fans he'd intended to come out some time ago but had only recently felt "comfortable enough to get it off my chest."
Why everyone started Juuling. How did Juul come to take over? A new book explores how we got here. Read this excerpt from The Devil's Playbook: Big Tobacco, Juul, and the Addiction of a New Generation. A FUNNY THING HAPPENED
How do you tell jokes when you hate yourself and the world?
"Should I be joking at a time like this?" Bo Burnham asks in his new comedy special, Inside. He's not the only one interested in this question: with shows like Hacks and Mae Martin's Feel Good, there's been a burst of works exploring what comedy has to offer a dying planet filled with people who are not doing great.
Shannon Keating pulled together the threads of comedians, many of them millennials, who are writing about the particularities of their self-loathing and suicidal ideation in the age of the algorithm. It's an excellent piece about a challenging crop of comedic work. FINDING TENDERNESS He almost lost his father to COVID. This photographer documented every minute
The pandemic has reordered our relationships with our families in unexpected ways. Some of us have had to find new avenues to grieve. Others have become closer with their families — something they never saw coming.
When the pandemic first hit, Christian Rodriguez's father became incredibly sick. Rodriguez documented what that period was like for his family and how it changed his relationship with his father.
The photos are intimate, heartbreaking, and really moving. They're really worth your time. Take a moment to orient yourself and tune in to what you need, Elamin 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Elamin Abdelmahmoud and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
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