If there’s anything the world needs right now, it’s a viral gymnastics routine to soothe our souls. Nia Dennis, a senior member of the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins gymnastics team, dominated social media this weekend when a video of her floor routine during a competition against Arizona State University went viral.

The official video of Dennis’ routine, shared by the UCLA Athletics YouTube page on Sunday, first shows her taking the floor in a shimmering blue leotard, taking a knee and raising her fist in the air as Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble” begins to play. Following a series of sharp poses — and a quick Nae Nae — Dennis runs onto the mat with back-to-back flips, until she lands to thunderous applause. She then demonstrates some Greek life-inspired stepping to Missy Elliot’s “Pass That Dutch,” some fun hip and shoulder work to Dem Franchize Boyz’ “Everytime Tha Beat Drops,” and falls into Soulja’s Boy’s “Crank That” dance — after three more consecutive backflips.

Between her midair splits and a few heel toes, Dennis walked away from the competition with a score of 9.95. The score, according to the UCLA Gymnastics team Twitter page, clinched her win in the competition. And inspired a lot of Black girl magic, too.

UCLA Gymnastics continued to hype up Dennis after her announcing her winning score, captioning the video of her routine “This is what #blackexcellence looks like. @DennisNia does it again!” During her post-competition interview, Dennis revealed the three main inspirations behind her 2021 routine.

“This routine definitely reflects everything that I am today as a woman, and of course I had to incorporate a lot of parts of my culture,” she told reporters. “I wanted to give a tribute to my father. He’s greek, he was in fraternities, and stepping is really big […] I wanted to have a dance party because that’s my personality and of course I had to shout out LA because we out here, UCLA.” Dennis also echoed her appreciation for Black Greek life and Black culture in her Instagram post reflecting on her performance on Monday. 

But the unique routine is no surprise coming from Dennis, who should now be accustomed to going viral. Last year, when she performed a Beyonce “Homecoming”-inspired routine during a competition against the University of Utah — a routine what earned a 9.975 and 20 million views — Dennis became a tour de force in the world of gymnastics. The now-famous routine was set to Queen Bey’s 2018 Coachella performance soundtrack, including classics like “Lose My Breath,” “Crazy in Love,” and “Ego”— and saw Dennis putting on an imaginary crown, doing shoulder shimmies and mimicking Beyonce’s “Homecoming” moves throughout her routine. She was later invited onto The Ellen DeGeneres Show to perform the same routine.

But before she was known for her viral floor routines, Dennis was a member of the U.S. National gymnastics team from 2013 to 2015. She was also a 2018 NCAA team champion, the 2019 First-Team All-American on bars, and a four-time All-Pac-12 honoree, according to her UCLA roaster profile. On the academic front, Dennis is a senior sociology major and plans on becoming a physical therapist following graduation.

In case her bio wasn’t impressive enough, both of Dennis’ viral moments came after a debilitating 2016 injury to her Achilles tendon. Since then, she said that she realizes: “because one dream is gone doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop myself from achieving the rest of my dreams.”

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Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is officially jumping back into politics, in perhaps the most unexpected (yet terrifying) way. A year and a half after leaving former president Donald Trump’s administration, Sanders announced her bid for governor of Arkansas in 2022 in an eight-minute video shared to Twitter on Monday, which she captioned with “I’m in.”

“With the radical left now in control of Washington, your governor is your last line of defense,” Sanders said in her announcement. “In fact, your governor must be on the front line. So today I announce my candidacy for governor of Arkansas, and ask for your prayers and support.” She then laid out her plans: “As governor, I will defend your right to be free of socialism and tyranny, your Second Amendment right to keep your family safe and your freedom of speech and religious liberty.”

I’m in —> https://t.co/8bmfl3ZPgp

Watch ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/khDPEk0orU

— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) January 25, 2021

Sanders first joined Trump’s administration as the deputy White House press secretary, a position she held until 2017 when she assumed former White House press secretary Sean Spicer’s role following his leave. During her time in the administration, Sanders was notable not only for her loyalty to the former president, but for how few press briefings she held. Prior to her leave from the White House in June of 2019, she hadn’t held a press briefing in over 100 days. Sanders’ briefings were also notably short; according to Politico, each briefing only lasted 15 to 18 minutes.

With her decision to run for governor, Sanders, who is daughter of former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, is the first person from Trump’s team to run for public office. It’s a move that will no doubt spark a trend among former members of team Trump, almost all of whom have made themselves public figures because of their association with the former commander-in-chief.

Rumors of Ivanka Trump, who was her father’s former senior adviser and the Director of the Office of Economic Initiatives and Entrepreneurship, running for some sort of public office in Florida was reported back in December. She’s also reportedly entertained the idea of running for president herself. And while Donald Trump Jr. has not made any public declarations of running for a governmental position, it’s been reported that, as a GOP conspiracy darling, he could possibly take over the Senate seat of Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey. Lara Trump, Eric Trump’s wife, is also reportedly considering a Senate run in North Carolina in 2022.

As much as she wants to forge her own political path with her gubernatorial run, Sanders — and all that she stood for during Trump’s time in office — will likely continue to face scrutiny for telling some of the most outrageous lies on behalf of the Trump administration. From regularly bickering with reporters to repeatedly insisting that Trump never encouraged violence, she’s still remembered for upholding the Trump legacy, which, as you recall, ended in two impeachments and an insurrection.

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In the aftermath of the insurrection carried out by supporters of President Donald Trump at the U.S. Captiol last Wednesday — during which at least five people were killed — many are now wondering whether the Republication lawmakers who continued to support Trump’s various claims of election fraud, and galvanized his supporter base, should be held responsible.

Congresswoman Cori Bush and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are among the leading voices calling for certain Republican lawmakers to be booted from their high-ranking positions for their continuous role in lifting up Trump’s false narrative, which directly led to the attempted coup. On the day after the attack, Pelosi specifically called for the removal of Trump from office, stating that he had “committed an unspeakable assault.” Again, in a press release on Sunday night, Pelosi reiterated that Trump was “incapable of executing the duties of his office.”

Bush echoed this, while also demanding that lawmakers who supported Trump be held responsible. “As a member of @HouseJudiciary, I am calling for the immediate impeachment of Donald Trump & his removal from office,” Bush tweeted the evening of the attack, before also declaring that “I’m also calling for the expulsion of @GOP members of Congress complicit in inciting the attack on our nation’s Capitol. Their actions must have consequences.”

“This coup attempt is white supremacy in action,” she continued hours later. “The Republican members who incited the attack on our U.S. Capitol by working to overturn the results of this election must be expelled from Congress.” On Sunday, she announced her resolution to expel Congressional lawmakers who attempted to overturn the election, saying that they “violated the 14th Amendment.”

Among those Republicans on the chopping block is, of course, Sen. Ted Cruz, who has stood by his claims — repeatedly — that Trump was the election’s true winner. But Cruz was among 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the electoral college votes, and a number of others who have similarly suggested serious action be taken to refute the election results.

That brings us to the 14th amendment, and how violating it could cost Republican lawmakers like Cruz their jobs. So, will Cruz and other Republicans really be eligible to lose their jobs in Congress because of this?

The short answer is: yes. While the 14th Amendment — which was passed in 1866 and ratified in 1868 — was created in response to former slaves receiving equal protection under law, sections within the Amendment are specifically for lawmakers. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, referenced by Bush and in Pelosi’s press release, explicitly states that “No Person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.”

Now, it comes down to other members of Congress, and the Justice Department, to follow through with holding Cruz and other responsible for inciting violence. As a reminder: The hundreds of demonstrators, among them Nazis and white supremacists, who carried out last week’s attempted coup did so under the guise that Trump’s claims of voter fraud and a stolen election were true. Republican lawmakers like Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Josh Hawley stood by Trump’s words, echoing his lies even after they were proven to be false over and over again. Because they engaged in some way in the aforementioned “rebellion,” they are — and should be — up for expulsion.

With Bush set to introduce her resolution today, Cruz would do well to wonder if his loyalty to the sinking ship that is Trump was worth his reputation and self-respect in the end.

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On Sunday, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert began her first term as a newly elected Congresswoman by loudly and proudly sharing her love of guns and the Second Amendment in a now-viral ad on Twitter. In the ad, the Republican politician is seen loading a Glock and securing it in a gun holster around her waist before hitting the streets of Washington, D.C. to tell viewers why she’s in favor of carrying the weapon with her at all times.

“Even though I now work in one of the most liberal cities in America, I refuse to give up my rights, especially my Second Amendment rights,” Boebert says to the camera as she walks toward the U.S. Capitol. She goes on to declare: “I will carry my firearm in D.C. and in Congress. This caused outrage from Democrats and the media. Why? It’s our job in Congress to defend your rights, including your Second Amendment, and that’s exactly what I’m here to do.”

Boebert is then seen walking through more residential and back streets as she gives the “real reasons why [she] defends [her]self in the nation’s capital.” According to her, its thanks to the state’s crime and homicide rates, both listed without statistics in the ad, and the fact that she is “a 5-foot tall, 100-pound woman [who] chooses to protect myself legally.”

Boebert also goes on to claim that people who live in D.C. “don’t understand how we live in real America.” She ends the ad by recalling the 2019 presidential rally of former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, where she told him “hell no” to his proposed buyback program for AR-15s and AK-47s, and doubles down on her right to carry in D.C.

Let me tell you why I WILL carry my Glock to Congress.

Government does NOT get to tell me or my constituents how we are allowed to keep our families safe.

I promise to always stand strong for our 2nd Amendment rights.https://t.co/E75tYpdN4B pic.twitter.com/qg7QGenrNo

— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) January 4, 2021

So, where exactly did this congressperson come from? Boebert’s entry into Congress comes after a busy 2020 securing her place in politics. Prior to her appearance at O’Rourke’s rally, she was solely known as the owner of Shooters Grill in Rifle, Colo., where the staff is armed at all times. Following her “hell no” statement, Boebert next made headlines in June 2020 when she defeated former Rep. Scott Tipton in the Republican primary for Colorado’s 3rd district; her win was described as an upset due to Tipton’s five previous terms in office and she received the congratulatory praise of President Donald Trump. On the campaign trail, Boebert was vocal about her support for Trump and for open-carry laws.

But then she was elected, giving her free rein to spew her second amendment ideas all over Twitter. In November, Boebert defeated former Rep. Diane Mitsch Bush for a seat in the House, taking 51.4% of the votes while Mitsch Bush got 45.2%. Her win made her the first woman to represent Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District.

And in spite of the swift backlash to her ad, Boebert has stood by it, tweeting on Sunday, “Let me tell you why I WILL carry my Glock to Congress. Government does NOT get to tell me or my constituents how we are allowed to keep our families safe. I promise to always stand strong for our 2nd Amendment rights.” She even announced, as a follow-up, the launch of the Second Amendment Caucus with Rep. Thomas Massie, which she says they “will be Co-Chairing, to fight for your Constitutional rights. #2A.”

As eager as Boebert is to carry her weapon throughout D.C., which would be legal thanks to a 1967 regulation allowing members of Congress to be in possession of a firearm at the U.S. Capitol, she needs to first be registered in D.C. — and just not her native Colorado — to avoid being charged, according to The Washington Post.

“There are no exceptions in the District of Columbia,” D.C. police chief Robert J. Contee III said Monday. “We plan to reach out to the congresswoman’s office to make sure that she is aware of what the laws of the District of Columbia are, what the restrictions are.”  

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In his latest attempt to recall the presidential election on Saturday, President Donald Trump reportedly demanded during a now-leaked call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that the latter “find” 11,780 votes for him to win Georgia over President-elect Joe Biden.

During the hour-long phone call, which was first obtained by The Washington Post, Trump insisted to Raffensperger that he, rather than Biden, was the winner of the state’s votes. “All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state,” Trump said on the call, where White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Georgia Secretary of State office’s general counsel Ryan Germany, and various lawyers were all present. 

But the suggested number of votes is no coincidence: Biden won Georgia with a 11,779 lead and the state’s election results were recounted. Trump also leaned heavily on conspiracy theories to back up his claim, claiming ballots were burned and shredded and that dead people somehow voted.

Raffensperger pushed back against Trump’s false claims, telling him that “President Trump, we’ve had several lawsuits, and we’ve had to respond in court to the lawsuits and the contentions. We don’t agree that you have won.” As Raffensperger doubled down on Georgia’s fair election process, Trump then implied that there would be legal repercussions if Raffensperger and general counsel Ryan Germany don’t find him the votes, which he claims have been shredded. “It is more illegal for you than it is for them because, you know, what they did and you’re not reporting it,” Trump said. “That’s a criminal, that’s a criminal offense. And you can’t let that happen. That’s a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer.”

Politicians from both major parties wasted no time condemning Trump’s call when the audio came to light. Former House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement: “Efforts to reject the votes of the Electoral College and sow doubt about Joe Biden’s victory strike at the foundation of our republic. The Trump campaign had ample opportunity to challenge election results, and those efforts failed from lack of evidence.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also called Trump’s actions an “impeachable offense,” nothing that “if it was up to me, there would be articles on the floor quite quickly… He’s attacking our very election.”

Perhaps it was Ocasio-Cortez’s signaling of impeachment that caused some speculation over just how criminal Trump’s latest actions are. But as much as disdain as Trump’s actions on this phone call have earned him, is it enough to land him in jail?

Technically, it could. House Democrats and former prosecutors Reps. Ted Lieu and Kathleen Rice made a criminal referral to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Monday, writing in a letter that to Wray that “As members of Congress and former prosecutors, we believe Donald Trump engaged in solicitation of, or conspiracy to commit, a number of election crimes.” Lieu also confirmed the letter was sent in a tweet. “We ask you to open an immediate criminal investigation into the president.”

In case there is concern that this particular investigation may fall through, Trump has a veritable party platter of other charges he could be facing in 2021. Should the FBI open an investigation into Trump’s phone call, it would only be one of many other criminal investigations he is subject to once he leaves the White House. From tax evasion to bribery to insurance fraud, the mountain of charges Trump faces is high. The likelihood of Trump, as well as his family members, serving time in prison definitely exists, and that’s one reality he can’t run from, no matter how many lies he spews and theories he digs up.

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A Chinese citizen journalist who began independently documenting Wuhan’s response to the coronavirus pandemic from February to May was sentenced to four years in prison in Shanghai on Monday. Former lawyer Zhang Zhan was charged with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” by the Shanghai Pudong New District People’s Court before receiving a four year sentence. Zhang is among other citizen journalists who were arrested and detained this year for posting their own social media and YouTube coverage of Wuhan’s handling of the pandemic.

Zhang began following the Chinese government’s response to the global virus back in February. Through her YouTube videos and her Twitter posts, she revealed the overwhelmed conditions city hospitals were in, discussed how harsh she believed Wuhan’s pandemic lockdown to be and traveled around the city attempting to talk to passersby, many of whom did not want to appear on camera or speak to her. On her platforms, Zhang was vocal about her disdain for what she described as, essentially, the government lying about how well it was handling the virus, according to the New York Times.

In between visiting crowded hospital hallways full of beds and crematoriums, and reporting on city residents being charged for COVID tests advertised as free on social media, the former lawyer would also criticize the government for severely mishandling its response to the virus. She also accused the country of silencing whistleblowers like doctors and journalists — a claim backed up by the arrests and eventual releases of journalists Li Zehua and Chen Qiushi, and the disappearance of journalist Fang Bin. Doctor Li Wenliang, who attempted to warn the world of the severity of the coronavirus in December 2019, also had his concerns dismissed as a rumor before succumbing to the virus in February.

Her sentence comes after months of speculation over how the Chinese government might punish her. Zhang was arrested in May for her coverage on the grounds of “lying” about Wuhan’s response to the pandemic. She has been on a hunger strike in the seven months since and has had to be fed through a feeding tube. According to a WeChat message from one of her lawyers, Zhang Keke, Zhang arrived at her trial in a wheelchair due to her frail state. The New York Times reported that her trial was over in less than three hours. Another one of Zhang’s lawyers, Ren Quanniu, told Reuters before her trial that Zhang “believes she is being persecuted for exercising her freedom of speech.” Following her sentence, he confirmed “We will probably appeal.”

Also present at Zhang’s trial was her mother, Shao Wenxia, who voiced her confusion and sadness for her daughter’s sentence. “I don’t understand. All she did was say a few true words, and for that she got four years,” she told Reuters.

Zhang received an outpouring of support from people and organizations on her side following Monday’s sentence. The United Nations’ Human Rights’ office tweeted “#China: We are deeply concerned by the 4-year prison sentence imposed on citizen journalist Zhang Zhan. We raised her case with the authorities throughout 2020 as an example of the excessive clampdown on freedom of expression linked to #COVID19 & continue to call for her release.” Human rights organization Chinese Human Rights Defenders echoed this: “CHRD condemns the Chinese govt’s unjust punishment of citizen journalist #ZhangZhan. The 4-year jail sentence is #China’s defiant challenge to free press and free expression.”

The New York Times has reported that at least 11 of Zhang’s supporters attempted to attend her trial before being escorted to a police station. Journalists attempting to cover the trial were also turned away because of the pandemic, according to Reuters.

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Just in time for New Year’s, Lori Loughlin was reportedly released early from prison. On Monday, after two months at the Dublin Federal Correctional Institute, Loughlin walked away days before her scheduled release date after pleading guilty for her role in the college admissions scandal known as Operation Varsity Blues.

Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, were both sentenced to prison in August; Loughlin received two months and Giannulli received five. The couple was also fined $150,00 and $250,000, respectively, and Loughlin was given 100 hours of community service, while Giannulli was given 250 hours. The former Full House star was two days shy from serving out the entirety of her sentence prior to Monday’s release, as she began her time at the Dublin prison on October 30. Giannulli, who is being held at a prison in Lompoc, Calif., is scheduled to be released on April 17, 2021.

Upon her release, Loughlin will now be supervised for the next two years, and Giannulli will receive the same supervised release once he is out.

The college admissions scandal and Hollywood’s role in it first came to light in March 2019, after it was revealed that Loughlin and Giannulli paid $500,000 to scam ringleader William “Rick” Singer to get their daughters —Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose Giannulli — into the University of Southern California on an athletic scholarship for the school’s crew team.

The scandal included staged photos of the girls on rowing machines. The couple initially claimed that they believed the money was going towards Singer’s charity Key Worldwide Foundation and USC itself, and Loughlin and Giannulli pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud, bribery, and money laundering in April 2019. The couple went in and out of court over the next year and eventually took a plea deal in May before ultimately being sentenced in August.

Loughlin has maintained throughout her trial that she took part in the scandal out of love for her daughters. Olivia Jade, an influencer, recently voiced her remorse for her family’s role in the scandal in an episode of Jada Pinkett Smith’s talk show Red Table Talk.

Actor Felicity Huffman was also charged for her role in the college admissions scandal and was sentenced to prison time, community service, and a fine. After paying Singer $15,000 to alter her daughter’s test scores, she was charged with fraud conspiracy, sentenced to two weeks in prison, and ultimately served 11 days in October before being released.

Loughlin’s team has not yet made a statement regarding her release. Refinery29 will update this story as we know more.

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On Sunday, congressional leaders officially reached a long-sought agreement on a desperately needed pandemic relief bill for the United States. The House and Senate agreed on a $900 billion stimulus package to be sent to individuals, families, schools, businesses, and government-funded programs—including nutrition assistance programs—throughout the country. According to the New York Times, President Donald Trump signed the bill before midnight on Sunday.

The package will include the eagerly awaited second stimulus check — only this time, it’s just for $600 for individuals who qualify, rather than the prior bill’s $1,200; there will also be an extra $300 per week in unemployment benefits, as opposed to the extra $600 of the last stimulus package. The bill will also fund the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines, increase Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and extend eviction protection around the country, among other elements.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that the relief bill had been greenlit on Sunday night, stating: “We can finally report what our nation has needed to hear for a very long time.” He then promised: “More help is on the way.” But, of course, was vague on the details about that. The passage of the relief bill was Congress’ last major act of the year before breaking until 2021.

While it’s undoubtedly a relief that this package was passed, there are still major concerns on the compromises made within it, and lots of questions abound. Below, we explain everything we know about the second pandemic relief bill and the incoming $600 stimulus checks. 

What is in the second stimulus bill?

The second stimulus bill contains $900 billion worth of funding for numerous government programs across the U.S., loans for small businesses, and a second round of stimulus checks for people who qualify. The second-largest bill passed during the COVID-19 pandemic — the first being this past spring’s $2 trillion CARES Act — this new stimulus package will provide the U.S. with the following: the return of the Paycheck Protection Program for small business in need of funding, with $12 billion saved specifically for minority businesses; a 15 percent increase in SNAP benefits; funding for food banks and senior food programs; an expansion of the Pandemic-EBT program; eviction protection through January 31; aid for childcare centers, K-12 schools and colleges; funding for COVID-19 vaccines; a second stimulus check of $600 to individuals, families, and children who qualify; and an additional $300 in unemployment for those who qualify.

How much will the stimulus checks be for?

Unlike the first stimulus check that was for up to $1200, the second stimulus check will be for $600. The slashed amount has been justifiably derided by many, including incoming Congressmember Cori Bush, who put it plainly on Twitter: “$600 is not enough.”

Who will get the stimulus checks?

According to the New York Times, the $600 stimulus checks are expected to be available to individuals who make up to $75,000. Couples who make up to $150,000 would receive $1,200. For households with children claimed as dependents, families would receive $600 per child. Children aged 17 and older claimed as a dependent do not qualify for stimulus checks.

How will we get the stimulus checks?

As with the first stimulus checks, if the IRS has your bank account information on file, the money will be distributed via direct deposit. For those who do not have a bank account or bank account information on file with the IRS, a paper check or prepaid debit card will be mailed to the most recent address they have on file.

What if I never got my other stimulus check?

For eligible recipients who did not receive the first stimulus check sent out earlier this year, they will be able to claim the $1,200 as a recovery rebate credit on their 2020 tax returns. On a page titled “Recovery Rebate Credit” on the IRS website, the organization explains: “Generally, this credit will increase the amount of your tax refund or lower the amount of the tax you owe.” Those who received the full amount of their check do not need to provide any Recovery Rebate Credit information on their 2020 tax form.

What does this mean for unemployment insurance?

People currently receiving unemployment benefits will receive an extra $300 per week, half of the original $600 received earlier this year. The extra check would be given until March 14, an extra 11 weeks past the original December 26 expiration date. Self-employed people and gig workers who make use of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance are also eligible for the additional unemployment payments. 

How does this change student loan payments?

The time limit enforced for students to receive help from the federal government to assist in paying their student loan interest has been lifted. Prior to the stimulus package, if a student took what was considered too long to finish school, they would receive no more help from the government in paying off their interest. More students and incarcerated people would also be eligible for Pell Grants.

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On Sunday, one of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo‘s former aides came forward alleging that she had been sexually harassed by the governor, who is reportedly being considered for the position of attorney general in President-elect Joe Biden’s cabinet. Lindsey Boylan, who is currently running for Manhattan Borough President, made the revelation while discussing how women experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace remains an all too common issue.

“Yes, @NYGovCuomo sexually harassed me for years,” Boylan tweeted Sunday morning after sharing a story of her own mother being sexually harassed in her field. “Many saw it, and watched. I could never anticipate what to expect: would I be grilled on my work (which was very good) or harassed about my looks. Or would it be both in the same conversation? This was the way for years.”

“Not knowing what to expect what’s the most upsetting part aside from knowing that no one would do a damn thing even when they saw it,” she continued. “No one. And I *know* I am not the only woman. I’m angry to be put in this situation at all. That because I am a woman, I can work hard my whole life to better myself and help others and yet still fall victim as countless women over generations have. Mostly silently. I hate that some men, like @NYGovCuomo abuse their power.”

Boylan was an aide for Cuomo for three and a half years from March of 2015 to October of 2018, according to The Guardian. During that time in his administration, she served as the executive vice-president of Empire State Development where she worked in urban planning. She was then as a special adviser to the governor for economic development. Following her initial tweets, Boylan made it clear that she wasn’t looking to talk to journalists about her experience. Her accusation also comes at the heels of singer FKA Twigs’ lawsuit again former boyfriend Shia LaBeouf for various forms of abuse during their relationship.

“I am about validating the experience of countless women and making sure abuse stops,” she went on to say. “My worst fear is that this continues. And as @FKAtwigs said yesterday, my second worst fear is having to talk about and relive this.”

In the day leading up to her Twitter thread, Boylan expressed her fear over Cuomo being considered for the attorney general position. “There are fewer things more scary than giving this man, who exists without ethics, even more control. I saw how he wielded power for years. He takes advantage of people, including me. I hope @JoeBiden & ⁦⁦@KamalaHarris don’t do this.”

She also alluded to her claims in the hour leading up to her thread, telling a user who brushed off an alleged lie told by Cuomo: “What if he victimized many, including me, using his lies and power? Don’t tell a woman who has seen and been through it all how to be. […] This right here is one of a million reasons women don’t speak up about sexual harassment. Sexual harassment in the workplace from someone powerful like their boss. The governor.”

Because Twitter trolling is just a 2020 past time now, Boylan said that after she made her statement about Cuomo, she had to mute the phrase “Why didn’t you leave?”

In a statement to Refinery29, Gov. Cuomo’s Press Secretary Caitlin Girouard said that “There is simply no truth to these claims.” Boylan and her team have not responded to a request for comment.

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On Sunday night, talks of pardoning whistleblower and former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden once again erupted on social media. With Donald Trump’s time in office officially ending in just over a month, politicians and organizations — from the ACLU to Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul to Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz — are making an impassioned call for Snowden’s pardon before Trump leaves the White House.

The demand to allow Snowden back into the United States, seven years after he first fled the country for Russia and two months after he became a permanent resident there, comes as Trump reportedly plans a pardoning spree before his term ends. Pardons for his older children — Ivanka, Don Jr. and Eric — have been discussed, as well as one for his train wreck lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. More ousted public figures have also pleaded to take part in Trump’s questionable show of power, including WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange — who Snowden himself begged to have pardoned on Twitter — and Tiger King star Joe Exotic, who is now calling trump a “hero.” 

But the rally behind getting Snowden pardoned is something entirely different, with a larger discussion on what constitutes an offensive crime from a government whistleblower. Advocates for Snowden’s pardon have spoken out on the importance of his reveal, stating that he brought to light illegal activity carried out by the U.S. government and a lie former National Intelligence Director James Clapper had to walk back and eventually apologize for.

Snowden was first thrust into the spotlight in 2013 when the former NSA employee revealed that the U.S. was actively collecting data from millions of Americans. He handed over this information to journalists Glenn Greenwald, Ewen MacAskill, Laura Poitras, and Barton Gellman, who were in Hong Kong at the time, and flew to Russia, where he had first been granted asylum; he became a permanent resident back in October, after seven years of living there. Snowden’s findings showed that Americans were under surveillance by the NSA through their phone records, emails, and their Internet browsing history, information he told The New York Times in 2013 that he had not handed over to Russia and China. 

Many unlikely politicians and advocacy groups alike took to Twitter to voice their support for the whistleblower’s pardon and eventual return to the U.S. Sen. Rand Paul tweeted that “James Clapper brazenly lied to Congress denying that the Deep State was spying on all Americans. @Snowdensimply revealed Clapper’s lies and exposed unconstitutional spying. He deserves a pardon from @realDonaldTrump!” The ACLU echoed Paul’s stance (yes, ironic), tweeting “Pardon Snowden. Edward Snowden blew the whistle on illegal government activity kept secret for years. Our democracy is better off because of him.”

In response to Congresswoman Liz Cheney calling Snowden a traitor, Rep. Matt Gaetz stated that “The Cheney ideology supporting forever wars puts more troops at risk than @snowden ever did.” And then, for whatever its worth now, Greenwald also reminded Twitter of how much support Snowden’s hypothetical pardon has received in the past, saying: “If Trump follows through on a pardon of @Snowden, it’d be a huge victory against CIA/FBI/NSA abuses. Everyone from @RandPaul, @MattGaetz & @TulsiGabbard to @ACLU, @BernieSanders & @NYTimes have advocated this. The only ones angry would be Brennan, Clapper, Comey & Susan Rice.”

If you are also looking at this list of names and thinking: we never thought this group would agree on anything ever, you are absolutely right. If you are also thinking: we never thought we’d agree with Matt Gaetz or Tulsi Gabbard on anything ever, you are probably, also, absolutely right.

Trump has yet to respond to calls for Snowden’s pardon and it is unknown if he will act on the suggestion. He called the whistleblower “a spy who should be executed” back in a 2013 tweet, but like many of his opinions, may walk it back before his term ends.

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On Sunday, video footage of officers from the Los Angeles Police Department violently clashing with protesters outside of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s home was shared to Twitter, causing yet another wave of wave of accusations that the LAPD is perpetuating police brutality.

In one video shared by reporter Josie Huang, police officers donning riot gear and face shields could be seen beating people with batons multiple times and pushing people into each other and onto the ground. One man attempted to shield himself with his protest sign as he was beaten by an officer and another held her water bottle in front of her as the same officer made a motion to swing at her next. Other officers were seen holding their arms out in front of protesters and keeping their hands on their guns. In another video shared by the People’s City Council – Los Angeles, LAPD officers are seen putting on their riot gear; walking directly into the crowd of protesters, who can be heard chanting off camera; and beginning to forcefully shove people as others film the confrontation. 

Protestors have been gathering peacefully outside of Garcetti’s home over the last 13 days during what’s been dubbed the “Block Garcetti” protests. Over the course of the demonstrations, they have been chanting in both large and small non-violent groups in opposition of the mayor’s historically dangerous track record. Garcetti, who was a co-chair of President-elect Joe Biden’s election campaign, has been rumored to be a possible addition to the incoming president’s cabinet. His track record as L.A.’s mayor, however, hasn’t earned him much support from Angelenos; his cuts to the city’s transportation bus service, increase in fare, approach to issues like homelessness and allegations of anti-Black policing gave rise to the Block Garcetti protests almost two weeks ago.

But beyond that, the LAPD’s violent descent onto the Block Garcetti protests come after months of anti-police brutality demonstrations throughout Los Angeles. In June, 50,000 people marched in neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Despite the overwhelmingly peaceful gatherings, members of the National Guard and the LAPD were still present. Another anti-police brutality protest was held at the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles following the August shooting of Jacob Blake; there, protesters were met with wire separating them from LA County deputies. Then, the September shooting death of Dijon Kizzee in South Los Angeles over a bicycle code violation sparked further anti-brutality protests.

Local politicians quickly condemned the LAPD for their violence — particularly in what was meant to be weeks of peaceful demonstration in front of Garcetti’s home. Incoming Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman tweeted on Sunday, “Today, protesters outside the Mayor’s residence were struck with batons. […] There is no acceptable justification for LAPD to use force against Angelenos who are peacefully exercising their right to free speech.”

“In regards to @lapd response at Getty House today: Peaceful protestors deserve the space and protections to make their voices heard. Anything short of that is NOT acceptable. No exceptions. No excuses,” Congressman Jimmy Gomez tweeted. Assemblymember Miguel Santiago also weighed in, demanding the release of a local organizer who was arrested, saying, “LAPD’s brutal actions this morning are unacceptable and must be denounced by everyone.”

So far, only one protestor was reportedly arrested during the police confrontation, though it remains to be seen if others may be charged later on. In a statement to Refinery29, an LAPD spokesperson said that protestors were in “violation” of coming too close to Garcetti’s home and received multiple warnings at the time of the confrontation. “The crowd’s physical response against the officers resulted in an ‘Officer Needs Help’ call and an Unlawful Assembly was declared.” The LAPD did not comment on allegations of police brutality and why other protestors were beaten with batons at the time of one attempted arrest.

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During his failed campaign for reelection, President Donald Trump hosted dozens of massive rallies, whose robust attendance, he said, was an indication that he had the votes to win in 2020. But, a new report from NBC News on Monday revealed that the outgoing commander-in-chief underperformed by an embarrassing amount in the exact same counties where he held those large rallies. In fact, for the most part, he performed better in those same counties in 2016. Sad!

Called the “Trump Rallies: Help or Hurt?” tally, the study looked at the last two weeks that Trump was campaigning before Election Day. It found that, out of 30 counties in states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Florida where he held rallies, Trump’s 2016 margin only improved in five. And in the other 25? NBC News reports that “his margins of victory got smaller, his margin of defeat grew or the county flipped Democratic.” In Michigan, home of frequent Trump target Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Trump “held five events in the last two weeks of the campaign and in every one of those counties, his 2020 margins were worse than they were in 2016.” Considering that Michigan was a popular stop for Trump’s campaign, where he not only egged the crowd on to “rise up” against Whitmer and “lock her up,” but also made a plea to suburban women to show up to the polls for him, this is a huge failure.

The tally also looked at Pennsylvania, where his 2020 margin dropped by 3 and 5 points after the seven events he held in Erie, Lancaster and Lackawanna counties. The only state where Trump did see a slight boost in numbers was in Florida, where he campaigned four times before Election Day. While his 2020 numbers got worse by a 0.1 to 5 point difference in Hillsborough and Escambia counties, Trump supporters in Miami-Dade county showed up and came out for him by improving his 2020 margin by almost 22 points.

It’s hard to say exactly why Trump could still draw big crowds but not have it translate into votes. Maybe it’s because he and his administration provided a lack of financial assistance in the midst of a global pandemic? Or maybe it had something to do with the 268,000+ people who have died under his watch? Hard to say, but a noticeable amount of Trump voters seem to have cared more about attending hate-filled rallies than going to the polls. 

Trump’s rallies did reflect his presidency in one important way: They were all for show, and didn’t accomplish much at all. It doesn’t matter how many people showed up to those rallies, waved the merch, and agreed with his despicable rhetoric — in the end, it wasn’t enough to win. 

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