New legal aid for US immigrant children
THE BIG STORY
The Capital Gazette shooter has been sentenced to life in prison  Candles honoring the five Capital Gazette employees killed during a mass shooting in their newsroom (Baltimore Sun/TNS) The gunman who stormed into the newsroom of the Capital Gazette in Maryland in June 2018 and killed five employees was sentenced on Tuesday to over five life sentences without parole.
Shooter Jarrod Ramos was found criminally responsible by a jury in July. He appeared to hold a yearslong vendetta against the newspaper after it published a column about him pleading guilty to harassing a former high school classmate in 2011.
The five victims were Wendi Winters, an award-winning reporter who covered community news; Robert Hiaasen, an editor known for his humor; Gerald Fischman, an editorial writer; Rebecca Smith, a sales assistant; and John McNamara, a sports lover who worked at the newspaper for more than 20 years. They were all shot in what police described at the time as a "targeted attack."
Gun violence is the leading cause of premature death in the US. It's responsible for more than 38,000 deaths annually, and as of Sept. 28, at least 33,142 people have died from gun violence this year, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
The Biden administration is providing legal representation for certain immigrant children in eight US cities The Counsel for Children Initiative will provide government-funded legal representation to certain unaccompanied immigrant children in deportation proceedings, according to agency officials. As part of an effort to boost legal access in the immigration court system, the new initiative will offer representation to children in Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland.
Immigrants in deportation proceedings are generally not provided an attorney by the government if they cannot afford one. Research done by the American Immigration Council shows that children with legal representation historically show up to their court hearings. The group found that in 95% of cases between 2005 and 2016 in which a child had representation they showed up to their court proceedings, compared to 33% who were not represented.
SNAPSHOTS
Here are eight major takeaways from BuzzFeed News' investigation into guardianships. The #FreeBritney movement brought international attention to guardianships that are overseen by family members. But many guardians are professionals, who may have dozens or even hundreds of people under their control.
A Capitol rioter talked about wanting to shoot Nancy Pelosi "in the friggin' brain." The government didn't charge her for it. US District Judge Emmet Sullivan called the statement about Pelosi "horrible" and "outrageous" and asked the prosecutor: "Did that not rise to the level of a threat?"
GABBY PETITO'S FAMILY SPEAKS
Gabby Petito's family said other missing people deserve the same attention and pledged to help those cases Gabby Petito's family announced a foundation in her name that they said will help families of other missing people after the 22-year-old's disappearance and death received worldwide attention. In a press conference on Tuesday, Petito's parents and stepparents thanked members of the media, law enforcement personnel, and people on social media for helping bring attention to her case.
The weekslong national obsession with Petito's killing played out on airwaves and newsfeeds. It's sparked a conversation about how missing white women receive a disproportionate amount of media coverage, a disparity that Petito's family acknowledged on Tuesday.
"Social media was amazing and very influential, but to be honest it should continue for other people, too," her father said. "This same type of awareness should be continued for everyone."
"If you don't do that for other people who are missing, that's a shame. It's not just Gabby who deserves that." WOOF
Would you have sex in front of Amazon's new robot dog?  OK, fine, this robot is cute!!! (Amazon) Amazon just announced Astro — a corgi-esque robot that can follow you around the house, locate stuff for you with a semi-obscene periscope, and support video chats with its touchscreen. The robodog boasts onboard facial recognition so it can recognize its owners, and has a navigation system that should allow it to map your home and objects in its path.
Look, you can resent Amazon for its mistreatment of workers, its union-busting, the sometimes deadly pressures it puts on delivery drivers, the devastation it has visited upon small retailers. You should be skeptical of the privacy implications of having a winking, mobile surveillance corgi tooling around your house collecting god knows what kinds of information.
But let's say you do buy one of these robots. Let's say you are now a proud Astro owner. Well, you now need to answer an all-time important question, one that has vexed adult dog owners since wolves were first domesticated... LOVE INCOMING? HATE IT? LET US KNOW
Hey, Alexa here. Bringing you the biggest news stories of the day has been a real joy (this isn't sarcasm at all — I feel very lucky that this is part of my job), but I want to learn how we can make this newsletter even better for you. We've put together a short survey to get a feel for how we can improve Incoming. If you have a few spare minutes, it would help me and the BuzzFeed News team out a lot to hear your feedback. Thanks as always, and know that I appreciate the time and energy you devote to taking on each day, Alexa 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Alexa Lee 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. |
