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Facebook doesn’t have much consumer trust. But it does have a hell of a lot of consumers. And that’s enough to make Libra, the new virtual coin that Facebook is announcing on Tuesday, the most consequential cryptocurrency effort undertaken in several years. Cryptocurrencies can be used to digitally pay for goods and services, like a credit card, and to transfer funds, like Venmo. So far, most people haven’t adopted them as a common form of payment. The most well-known virtual coin, bitcoin, has instead functioned more like an investment asset. But Libra has the potential to become a way...

BuzzFeed News journalists are getting impatient. It’s been four months since they voted to form a labor union, but the company still hasn’t officially recognized them. Dozens of frustrated employees walked off the job Monday afternoon to protest the company’s delay in recognizing BuzzFeed News Union. Journalists in New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles stopped working at 2 pm to get the company’s attention. I'm joining my incredible BuzzFeed News colleagues walking out today to demand BuzzFeed comes back to the table to give us a fair voluntary recognition agreement ✊ #1u pic.twitter.com/Zuyf83mX99— Eric Morrow (@morroweric) June...

If Big Little Lies’ second-season premiere was the calm before a storm of consequences, then the second episode, “Tell-Tale Hearts,” is a whole new maelstrom of melodrama. This episode sees our five scheming socialites falling deeper into the web of secrets and lies that have surrounded them, as family tensions, spousal betrayals, and devastating reveals about sexual assault and domestic violence all churn to the surface. It probably shouldn’t be as fun to watch as it is, but Big Little Lies has always been pretty gleeful about its sordid affairs. Strap in, because a lot happens in this episode. Celeste and Bonnie...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a plaque marking the location of the newest settlement in the Golan Heights on Sunday. The marker proclaims the settlement will be known as “Trump Heights.” Netanyahu said the name was chosen to thank President Donald Trump for breaking decades of US tradition and recognizing the Golan Heights as part of Israel in March. Prior to that point, the US observed the international custom of considering it occupied territory. Trump Heights, called “Ramat Trump” in Hebrew, is a symbol of the airtight alliance that’s developed between the US and Israel. Trump has repeatedly aligned himself...

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a new plan on Friday to “level the playing field for entrepreneurs of color” by providing business grants to minorities in order to close the startup capital gap — the difference in capital available to white entrepreneurs versus entrepreneurs of color. Warren argues that “every American should have a fair shot at starting a small business,” but says the playing field is currently drastically uneven, with entrepreneurs of color starting businesses with far less money than their white counterparts. Warren writes that disparity severely affects minority-owned businesses’ ability to attract investors, apply...

Night two of the first Democratic presidential debate will feature a lot of familiar faces: Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris. It will also feature someone even few political junkies had heard of until very recently: Andrew Yang. Yang, a startup veteran and founder of the nonprofit Venture for America who has never run for elected office before, has made a $12,000-per-year basic income for all American adults the centerpiece of his campaign. He averages 1 to 2 percent in public opinion polls, but as of this writing, he’s surged on prediction markets, with bettors giving him better odds than Beto...

Vox Sentences is your daily digest for what’s happening in the world. Sign up for the Vox Sentences newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday, or view the Vox Sentences archive for past editions. New York eliminates religious exemptions to vaccination requirements; thousands of Swiss women protest for gender equality. No more religious exemptions from vaccines George Frey/Getty Images New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill Thursday that eliminates religious exemptions to vaccination requirements, which he hopes will help combat the current measles outbreak....

Kim Kardashian West and President Donald Trump have a new plan to help former inmates tackle unemployment, one of the largest obstacles to their reentry to civilian life. Their plan: a new partnership with ride-share giant Lyft that would provide formerly incarcerated people with gift cards for transportation to job interviews, work, and family visits. In a surprise appearance, Kardashian West announced the program Thursday at a White House event that promoted giving former inmates “a second chance at success.” Proud to partner on this initiative with @Lyft, a company with a history of taking bold action to do...

Vox Sentences is your daily digest for what’s happening in the world. Sign up for the Vox Sentences newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday, or view the Vox Sentences archive for past editions. Trump is under fire for saying that he would receive information about political rivals from foreign actors; UK signs Julian Assange’s US extradition papers. Trump is open to receiving dirt from foreign actors Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images President Donald Trump is under fire after he said he would receive information about 2020 candidates from...

There’s a lot to unpack in the first trailer for Doctor Sleep, starting with what it actually is. The forthcoming film, slated for a Halloween premiere, is an adaptation of the 2013 horror novel by Stephen King — but this isn’t just any Stephen King horror novel. Doctor Sleep is a sequel to The Shining. The film stars Ewan McGregor as Danny Torrance, Jack Torrance’s trike-riding, “Redrum”-intoning son. Now he’s grown up and being haunted by demons from his past, while also experiencing new occurrences of “the shining,” the strange psychic power that allows him to communicate telepathically —...