Jan 11, 2019

GoFundMe refunding entirety of $20 million "Build the Wall" campaign

A screen-shot of the GoFundMe campaign.

GoFundMe is refunding all $20 million that was raised for the "Build the Wall" campaign, after the man who started broke his promise of returning donor money if the campaign didn't reach its goal," BuzzFeed News' Brianna Sacks reports.

Details: The GoFundMe, which had a $1 billion target, was started by veteran Brian Kolfage. Kolfage wrote on the campaign's page that after consultation with experts, he decided to take the $20 million raised and form a non-profit called "We Build the Wall, Inc." in order to complete segments of the wall for lower costs than the government has estimated. A GoFundMe spokesman responded by saying that unless the donors make it clear they want their funds to be directed to the non-profit, "they will automatically receive a full refund."

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Coronavirus dashboard

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  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 5,383,582 — Total deaths: 344,077 — Total recoveries — 2,158,031 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 1,640,972 — Total deaths: 97,679 — Total recoveries: 366,736 — Total tested: 14,163,195 — Map.
  3. World: White House announces travel restrictions on Brazil, coronavirus hotspot in Southern Hemisphere — Over 100 coronavirus cases in Germany tied to single day of church services — Boris Johnson backs top aide amid reports that he broke U.K. lockdown while exhibiting symptoms.
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Updated 25 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Federal judge strikes down Florida law requiring felons to pay fines before voting

Gov. Ron DeSantis. Photo: oe Raedle/Getty Images

A federal judge on Sunday ruled that a Florida law requiring convicted felons to pay all court fines and fees before registering to vote is unconstitutional.

Why it matters: The ruling, which will likely be appealed by state Republicans, would clear the way for hundreds of thousands of ex-felons in Florida to register to vote ahead of November's election.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow52 mins ago - Politics & Policy

White House announces new coronavirus travel restrictions on Brazil

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro with Trump, March 19, 2019. Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo-Pool via Getty Images

The White House announced that beginning at 11:59 pm ET on Thursday, President Trump would suspend entry of non-U.S. citizens who have been in Brazil in the past 14 days in an effort to stop the imported spread of the coronavirus.

Why it matters: Brazil has reported nearly 350,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus — the second-most in the world behind the U.S. — and has emerged as a Southern Hemisphere hotspot as other heavily affected countries in Asia and Europe have managed to get their outbreaks under control.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow3 hours ago - World