“Goodbye, America!”
 NOVEMBER 9, 2021 THE BIG STORY
How Trump-era anti-abortion politics suppressed a scientific study from the public  BuzzFeed News; Getty Images National Institutes of Health officials backed away from publicizing promising federally funded research early in the pandemic, calling one study "a political landmine."
According to public records obtained by BuzzFeed News through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, top NIH officials under the Trump administration stated that "it will not help us to advertise this particular find," in reference to a study that involved mice "humanized" with fetal tissue cells.
The study found that tamping down the early immune response to an infection in human lung cells led to a stronger overall response to illness. Studies like this are typically promoted with a news release, with the scientists being made available for interviews. Instead, the NIH seems to have deliberately avoided that kind of promotion for this study because of political risks.
Faced with climate change, stem cells, and other research becoming hyperpartisan in recent decades, federal research agencies have had to carefully weigh how they describe new research to avoid political backlash.
"The partisan nature of US politics has gotten us to a point now where the question is no longer 'how' to talk about emerging science, but 'if' to talk to the public about emerging science," said University of Wisconsin science communications expert Dietram Scheufele. "And that's a bad place to be in for science and for society." STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
"Goodbye, America!": A California man who allegedly took part in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot is seeking asylum in Belarus Evan Neumann, 48, was charged in March with six crimes related to the Jan. 6 insurrection, including two felonies for assaulting an officer and participating in a civil disorder. On Nov. 7, he told state-controlled Belarus 1 news channel that he navigated forests full of swamps, wild boars, and snakes to seek asylum in Europe.
Neumann is one of at least three defendants who have evaded arrest or failed to show up to court after their initial arrest, out of over 650 people who have been federally charged so far. The vast majority of people charged in the Capitol riots have been arrested without incident.
Belarus does not have an extradition treaty with the US. Tensions between the countries have frayed significantly since much of the world deemed the presidential elections in August 2020 to be rigged. Alexander Lukashenko, known as Europe's last dictator, has ruled the country for more than two decades. He claims to have won the 2020 election, although evidence shows he likely lost to challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. SNAPSHOTS
Travis Scott and Drake are being sued for negligence and "encouragement of violence" at the Astroworld festival that killed at least eight people. Scott has been named personally in 17 Astroworld-related lawsuits, and has canceled a headliner appearance at a Las Vegas festival this weekend.
A woman who narrowly escaped being run over by a car at the "Unite the Right" rally said it was "a complete terror scene." More than four years later, Marissa Blair recounted in a federal courtroom the horrors of the Charlottesville riot, which wounded her and her partner and killed one of her friends.
SIGNAL FOR HELP
A missing teenager used a hand gesture she'd seen on TikTok to alert a driver to call 911  Research finds that the pandemic stresses existing factors that lead to domestic violence, including financial and emotional strain, and the proximity of victims to their abusers make it more difficult to seek help. Canadian Women's Foundation / Via canadianwomen.org A missing 16-year-old girl was rescued in Kentucky on Thursday, after someone noticed her being driven by an older man and using a hand gesture intended to be a signal for help.
The "Signal for Help" gesture, which involves tucking in the thumb into the open palm and closing the four other fingers over the thumb, was initially developed by the Canadian Women's Foundation in partnership with media agency Juniper Park in April 2020, as a way for domestic violence victims to silently show they need help on a video call.
The meaning has since broadened and taken off worldwide, largely thanks to viral TikTok posts of actors role-playing various scenarios where people used the signal to call for help.
PHOTOS THAT WILL THAW YOUR ICY HEART
After COVID-19 travel restrictions were lifted, emotional airport reunions take off worldwide Many people have been waiting nearly two years to see friends and family members separated by coronavirus travel restrictions. Now, as countries like the US and Australia reopen their borders to vaccinated travelers, loved ones are finally gathering in-person at airports around the world:  Abdul Shukoor embraces his nephews as they are reunited upon his arrival from Brussels at Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia, on Nov. 8, 2021. Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
 Til Wagenaar greets her son, Joost Wagenaar, after she flew from the Netherlands at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, on Nov. 8, 2021. Til has not been to see her son in two years, and this trip will be the first time she can meet her 1-year-old grandchild. Seth Wenig / AP
 Yerin Hong gets a hug from her boyfriend, Soomin Kim, after she arrived on a flight from Germany at the international terminal at O'Hare International Airport on Nov. 8 in Chicago. Scott Olson / Getty Images
 Andrzej Formaniak greets his wife, Eva Eggar, after she arrived at Logan International Airport in Boston on Nov. 8. Brian Snyder / Reuters Call a friend that makes you feel optimistic, Alexa 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Alexa Lee and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
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