It’s our last send of 2020, Below the Folders. To celebrate, we’re looking back at our first full year of sending this newsletter! Below, we’re highlighting 12 stories we covered in 2020. Each one was worthy of being told, but struggled to get noticed amidst the trending frontpage stories.

If you’ve been with us since January, we hope you enjoy a trip down memory lane with us. If you’re new to our reading list, here are some stories you may have missed this year. Either way, we’re looking forward to another year of uncovering stories worthy of your attention in the new year. And if it's easier, you can also read in a new tab here.

Is revenge porn protected by the First Amendment? Let’s ask the Supreme Court

Three years ago, Bethany Austin’s fiancé told their mutual friends she was “crazy” for leaving him. In response, she shared copies of texts and explicit photos that exposed his infidelity ... but proving her point came with a price. By sharing the other woman’s nude photos, Bethany had violated Illinois’s revenge porn laws.

Bethany argues that Illinois’s revenge porn laws are unconstitutional because they restrict her freedom of speech. However, this argument doesn’t work, because the law was created to protect privacy — similar to how we have laws against revealing people’s social security numbers or medical records. Still, Bethany’s lawyers plan on taking her case to the Supreme Court, which would be the first of its kind. 

SOURCES: Washington Post, American Bar Association

Utah is paying workers to fly to Mexico to get their prescription refills

As part of a relatively new insurance program for Utah state workers, 10 employees are being paid to travel to Mexico every few months to refill their prescriptions.

You read that correctly — some prescription drugs in the U.S. are more expensive than a round-trip flight to Mexico. One worker shares that, with the program, her co-pay costs $450 but would skyrocket to $2,400 if she were to refill her arthritis medication in the U.S.

READ MORE: ABC News 

Tech giants are benefiting from forced labor of Uighur Muslims in China

For the past four years, China has been forcing its Uighur Muslim population into re-education programs, presumably to erase their cultural ties. After “graduating” from these programs, many of these individuals are sent to work in factories — where they may be building products for major tech companies, such as Apple, Lenovo, Samsung, Dell, and HP.

Experts say these labor programs pursue China’s larger goal: to force Uighurs to assimilate into the predominant Han culture. In the factories, they are kept isolated from the other workers and forbidden from practicing their religion. Yet, these conditions seem better than the alternative: remaining in re-education centers where harrowing stories of physical and psychological abuse have been reported.

SOURCES: The New York Times, The Washington Post

For the first time, U.S. names a white supremacist group as terrorists

The U.S. has taken the label of “terrorist group” — frequently used to describe Islamist extremists — and applied it to a white nationalist group based in Russia. 

What does this do?

The label is more than a historic first. Practically, it allows the government to take more aggressive actions against the group, such as:

• Freezing any American assets owned by the organization
• Bringing terrorism-related charges against anyone who engages in financial deals with the group
• Preventing its members from entering the U.S.

Similar sanctions have also been applied to three of the group’s leaders, who have been officially named as terrorists. Although it has not been officially sponsored by the Russian government, the group has previously recruited fighters to help pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine.

SOURCES: The New York Times, Politico

Sudan finally outlaws female genital mutilation

In a historic move and a huge victory for women’s rights, Sudan has just outlawed female genital mutilation, a practice that, unfortunately, is still quite prevalent in other parts of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. In Sudan alone, reports estimate that 87% of women have undergone the procedure, usually when they are between the ages of five and 14. Currently worldwide, over 200 million women are living with genital mutilation.

Why is this even happening?

There are no medical benefits for female genital cuttings, but the practice has been ingrained as a social norm in certain cultures — particularly ones with extreme stances against premarital sex.

What even is genital mutation?

The process involves the removal of healthy genital tissue, an incredibly painful procedure that in the short term, can cause urinary problems, tissue swelling, infections, shock, or even death. Long term, the women subjected to genital mutilations can experience pain during menstruation, urination, and intercourse. They also are more likely to have complications during childbirth, including higher risks of newborn death.

Some experts worry that a federal ban *still* won’t be enough to eradicate the practice in the near future, as it is so widespread in the country. However, U.N. activists emphasize that the new law represents a crucial first step towards changing the cultural norms.

SOURCES: New York Times, The Guardian, Unicef, World Health Organization

Black entrepreneurs struggle to make it in the legal weed industry

We’ve heard how — despite marijuana use being almost equal between races — Black Americans are 4x more likely to be arrested for pot possession. What’s worse? This same group is also being largely left out of the legal marijuana industry.

While the weed industry is projected to grow to $50 billion by 2026, a 2017 survey found Black people made up just 4% of ownership in the cannabis industry. Many Black entrepreneurs have cited a lack of access to capital and systemic economic racism as barriers to the business. In fact, 99% of marijuana dispensaries are White-owned.

SOURCES: USA Today, Minority Business Development Agency, NBC News

The deadliest year for overdoses in the U.S.

Around 71,000 Americans died from a drug overdose last year, and more than half were from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, according to early estimates from the CDC. The total drug deaths is the highest on record, and up 5% from 2018, which actually saw a decrease in deaths for the first time in 25 years. 

What happened between 2018 and 2019?

• Carfentanil, a synthetic opioid stronger than fentanyl, disappeared from some U.S. markets in 2018 due to the risks, but then popped up again in 2019
• New non-fentanyl-based synthetic opioids hit the market, as fentanyl got a dangerous rep and government agencies cracked down on the deadly drug 
• Fentanyl started showing up on the West Coast; before, it was mostly in the East in areas such as Ohio and New Hampshire
• Meth is more potent, increasingly mixed with fentanyl, and moving East
• Some drug markets have flipped to fentanyl, and powder or clean heroin is no longer available

People are worried that this trend will continue into 2020, especially with the added stress of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the New York Times, drug deaths are already up 13% this year compared to last year.

SOURCES: CDC, Vice, New York Times, CNN

The breakup business in Japan

Ever wish you could hire someone to end your relationship?  Well, in Japan there are at least 270 wakaresaseya (professional relationship destroyers) agencies that are advertising their services online. Agents have a couple of different plays to make the breakup happen, including seducing them into an affair or blackmail. 

Why do people in Japan hire private agents for a breakup?

• To avoid confrontation
• To gather evidence to move along proceedings during a contested divorce
• To break up affairs

How much does this cost? 

One agency says cases usually cost around $3,000, but can go all the way up to $150,000. These cases can also take a few months to complete.

SOURCES: BBC, Inside Hook, Los Angeles Times

Parts of Mexico move to ban junk food for kids

Oaxaca became the first state in Mexico to ban selling or giving out high-calorie packaged foods and sugar-sweetened drinks to minors. Now, Tabasco has also approved a prohibition and a dozen other states are considering similar bans. 

The junk food ban is partly in response to the coronavirus pandemic…

Tens of thousands of Mexicans have died from COVID-19, and two-thirds of the deaths were reportedly people who suffered underlying medical conditions such as obesity and diabetes. Because of these deaths, some Mexican officials are trying to change the diets of the younger generation.  

While the ban was passed in some states, legislators are still working to draft the rules and punishment. Of course, the bans also face opposition from those who have business and money at stake.

SOURCES: NPR, BBC, The Washington Post

Chilean voters decide to draft a whole new Constitution

Imagine the U.S. deciding to scrap its 1787 constitution to script an all-new one. Well, that’s what the people of Chile have decided, with 80% of voters in favor of getting rid of the old Pinochet-era document.

The original constitution was approved in 1980 during a military dictatorship, and was mostly written by U.S.-educated neoliberal economists. The result meant that the private sector played a huge role in state affairs and services; schools, pensions, and healthcare were partially privatized. It worked in terms of economic growth, but while Chile’s GDP grew exponentially, people started to realize that power and money were becoming concentrated to the political and business elite, and income inequality was increasing in tandem. In fact, last year, about a quarter of total income in Chile went to one percent of the population.

What sparked this major vote?

The movement started small, with protests a year ago over a four-cent increase for subway prices. But these protests grew into a larger call to end social inequalities. 

What issues are likely to be addressed in the new constitution?

The first will be to elect a new body of representatives to draft the document — and there is a requirement for gender parity. 👏 Basic rights that have also been talked about include free higher education, healthcare, and expanding public welfare.

Chileans are set to vote on the draft of their new constitution in 2022.

SOURCES: The New York Times, NPR, GZERO Media

Where’s the beef (coming from)?

Imagine a world where the beef you eat is obscurely labeled and comes at the cost of a human life. Unfortunately, if you’re eating beef in the United States, this could be you. 

Wait, what?

It’s no secret that the pandemic has created beef shortages domestically. As America turned to other countries to fill shelves, Nicaragua stepped up to feed our love of beef. Now, new reports have found a harrowing issue with this beef source.

Nicaraguan cattle ranchers have been attacking Indigenous communities in east Nicaragua to seize jungle land and clear it for pasture. This land makes up a third of the country and has been legally owned by the Indigenous people for nearly 20 years. The attempts to make them flee have led to deadly attacks on villages and a rapid increase in homicide rates for the first half of 2020. In January alone, 16 homes were burned down in an Indigenous village in order to open up more land for building slaughterhouses.

And this conflict beef is ending up in American grocery chains, such as Walmart, Safeway and Target, with no indication of the meat’s origins. How? 

• USDA’s adjusted labeling requirements allows meat originating from Nicaragua to be labeled as “Product of the USA” as long as it’s processed and packaged in the U.S. 
• Not only is it qualifying as “Product of the USA,” the beef is also marketed as grass-fed, sustainable beef.

How is this allowed in the U.S.?

The meat is supplied through a partnership with Thomas Foods International, and executive leadership there says they intend to continue their partnership with Nicaragua. The company is citing an agreement that commits to zero agricultural activity in protected areas, but locals are claiming the terms of the partnership are already being broken. Meanwhile, the latest efforts to change food labeling requirements back to include the country of origin continue to fall short.

Meanwhile in Nicaragua...

President Daniel Ortega’s government has been supportive of the growth of these cattle operations, citing their benefit to the economy. In fact, 90% of the country’s beef is currently being exported, with the U.S. as its largest customer. To make matters worse, the Indigenous communities of Nicaragua were among the hardest hit from Hurricane ETA earlier this month.

SOURCES: Reveal News, PBS, Food Safety News, The Intercept

Thousands of farmers protest deregulation laws in India

Arriving on tractors and by foot, farmers are protesting new agriculture laws in New Delhi. Police tried to stop them by blocking and even digging up roads, but tensions escalated last week as officers used tear gas and water cannons. 

What are the farmers protesting?

Farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, are upset about laws passed in September that removed protections they had against larger corporations. Sold as an increase in autonomy to set price and sell without state-mandated middlemen, the new laws would also give corporations the pricing power and access they need to beat smaller farmers on price and exploit workers.

What was it like before?

Before the new laws were passed, the Indian government had set guaranteed prices for certain crops and they were sold at a state auction. Although farmers were already feeling financial strain due to crop failures and an inability to price competitively, this certainty at least allowed farmers to choose which crops they wanted to invest in. The new laws got rid of this system, which worries farmers given agriculture is the main source of income for about 58% of India’s 1.3 billion residents and the majority operate small farms.

SOURCES: CNN, Al Jazeera, The New York Times, Tribune India

And there you have it, a taste of a year's worth of "Below the Fold" stories. If you're enjoying our content, consider sharing us with a friend? If you refer them before the New Year, we'll even enter you both in a chance to win a 1-year subscription to a local paper of your choice!