This week for BuzzFeed News, Gregory D. Johnsen chronicles the rise and resolve of CIA Director John Brennan. Read that and these other great stories from BuzzFeed News and around the web.
The Untouchable John Brennan — BuzzFeed News
How did Barack Obama, the candidate of hope and change, turn into the president of secret kill lists and immunity for torturers? The answer may lie in his relationship with CIA Director John Brennan, a career bureaucrat turned quiet architect of a morally murky national security policy who isn’t going to let a little thing like getting caught spying on the Senate bring him down. Read it at BuzzFeed News.
Jason Reed / Reuters
She Skipped School and Couldn't Pay Her Fines — So Texas Sent Her to Jail — BuzzFeed News
Kendall Taggart and Alex Campbell report from Texas, where more than a thousand teenagers have been ordered to lockup on charges that stem from missing school, often because they have unpaid court fines. The costs to their education are high. Some, like Serena Vela, never go back. Read it at BuzzFeed News.
Dylan Hollingsworth for BuzzFeed News
"Have You Ever Thought About Killing Someone" — Matter
A disturbing and twisted tale of fantasy, murder, and perversion by Rachel Monroe that will leave you with far more questions than answers. How could someone be turned on by the idea of being brutally killed — and what type of person would be willing to do it for them? Read it at Matter.
Illustration by Steve Kim for Matter
After 20 Years, “Friday” Is (Still) the Most Important Film Ever Made About the Hood — BuzzFeed News
The stars and the director of this genre-busting sleeper hit — which returned to theaters for one day to celebrate its 20th anniversary — talk to Kelley L. Carter about why it still resonates. “I know you don’t smoke weed. I know this. But I’m gonna get you high today. ‘Cuz it’s Friday, you ain’t got no job, and you ain’t got shit to do!” Read it at BuzzFeed News.