HERE ARE THE TOP STORIES
Volkswagen is in deep trouble after the U.S. Justice Department launched a criminal investigation into the carmaker’s attempt to evade clean air standards.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Friday that the carmaker, one of the world’s largest, had installed software to cheat emission tests, in order for its “diesel cars to produce up to 40 times more pollution than allowed,” and was ordered to recall nearly 500,000 cars, The Guardian writes.
Volkswagen will set aside $7.3 billion to pay for irregularities in diesel engines installed in possibly 11 million vehicles all over the world, BuzzFeed News writes.
With the Justice Department investigation, “the company could face fines of up to $18 billion, criminal charges for its executives, and legal action from customers and shareholders,” The Guardian writes. Volkswagen shares plummeted 18% today having already fallen a similar amount yesterday, the Financial Times reports. On Sunday, Volkswagen’s CEO Martin Winterkorn publicly apologized and said the EPAs accusations are being taken “very seriously.”
And a little extra.
Other countries are launching investigations too. South Korea will test up to 5,000 Jetta and Golf cars as well as Audi A3s that were produced in 2014 and 2015. France called for a Europe-wide probe into possible violations and Germany said it would investigate whether emissions tests had been rigged in Europe, BuzzFeed News writes.
A Los Angeles Times investigation found that the federal government paid for up to $51 million in green car subsidies that were based on falsified pollution test results.
WE’RE KEEPING AN EYE ON
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has officially dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination for the 2016 presidential election.
He’s the second candidate to drop out, after former Texas Governor Rick Perry exited the race earlier this month. Now there are 15 candidates left.
Walker gained popularity earlier in the year after a speech at a large Republican event in Iowa. “But, since then, Walker has struggled to stand out in a crowded field currently led by political outsiders like Donald Trump, Ben Carson, and Carly Fiorina,” BuzzFeed News writes.
“Today, I believe that I am being called to lead by helping to clear the field in this race so that a positive, conservative message can rise to the top of the field,” Walker said. “With this in mind, I will suspend my campaign immediately.”
Walker urged his fellow Republicans to do the same so the party could focus on a single candidate who could offer a “positive conservative alternative” to frontrunner Donald Trump.
What’s next?
Walker’s donors will get some of their money back. A political action committee in support of Walker, by the name of Unintimidated PAC, had raised $20 million and the remaining resources will be returned. Altogether, Walker had raised more than $26 million by the end of July.
Here’s what some of the other candidates have been doing in the past week: Carly Fiorina sang a song on the Tonight Show. Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders says Trump is catering to supporters who believe President Barack Obama is a Muslim. Trump, in turn, says it’s not his moral responsibility to refute those claims. And on Sunday, Hillary Clinton called the U.S. to take in 65,000 Syrian refugees.
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?
European leaders are trying to find a way to relocate 120,000 refugees who are looking for asylum.
A meeting is set to take place in Brussels today, where European Union ministers hope to find a consensus ahead of tomorrow’s emergency summit on the migration crisis. One option is to instate mandatory quotas, which some central European countries (Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic) have resisted, BBC News writes. In July and August alone, roughly 250,000 refugees and migrants arrived in Europe from war-torn countries such as Syria.
Germany could see an influx of up to a million people this year, far more than any other European country. But the country’s open-door policy for refugees has spurred an anti-immigrant sentiment in small towns across the country.
“Nationwide, a solid majority of Germans still say that they support the government’s efforts to help refugees. But the far right has seized the opportunity presented by the crisis, and right-wing political movements are on the rise,” BuzzFeed News’ Joshua Hersh writes.
Here are six ways this migration crisis is unlike any other.
Hackers managed to infiltrate Apple’s Chinese App Store in the store’s first major breach.
Dozens of apps infected with malware were published in the store. The apps had been built by developers who were duped into downloading counterfeit versions of a program called Xcode, Apple's software for building iOS apps, BuzzFeed News’ Brendan Klinkenberg writes.
The 39 infected apps included some of the most popular in China, such as messaging app WeChat, business card scanner CamCard, and ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing. It's still unclear whether the breach resulted in any user information being stolen.
And for fans of Apple gadgets: The company’s plans for an electric car are very real and could become a reality by 2019. Apple finally launched the watchOS 2 after a bug delay.
If you want the latest news and stories, download the BuzzFeed News app for iOS.
Quick things to know:
Pope Francis is wrapping up his Cuban visit with a mass at the country’s biggest shrine before traveling to the U.S. for a six-day tour in Washington D.C., New York, and Philadelphia. (Associated Press) The pope isn’t the only important visitor this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Seattle today for his first state visit to the U.S. (New York Times)
Burkina Faso's army entered the country's capital to disarm a group of leaders who staged a coup against the government last week. (The Guardian)
Unidentified gunmen abducted four tourists from a popular resort in the southern Philippines late Monday night. (BuzzFeed News)
Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein says he has a "highly curable" form of lymphoma, and will be undergoing chemotherapy. (BuzzFeed News)
Here are the winners and losers of this year’s Toronto Film Festival. (BuzzFeed News)
The boyfriend of a Massachusetts mother is charged with murdering 2-year-old Bella Bond, also known as “Baby Doe.” He believed the toddler was possessed by demons and that it was “her time to die.’ (BuzzFeed News)
This is how America’s elite colleges rank according to President Barack Obama’s scorecard. (BuzzFeed News)
China has arrested a U.S. woman accused of stealing state secrets. (New York Times)
The hashtag #ShoutYourAbortion is challenging the stigma of abortion. (BuzzFeed)
How a Muslim student became the leader of a pro-Israel group. (BuzzFeed News)
Psst: Renter’s insurance is the secret to adulthood. (BuzzFeed Life)
It’s a big day for people sick of standing in line for their latte: Starbucks is launching mobile ordering nationwide. (BuzzFeed News)
The moon is shrinking and it’s the earth’s fault. (New York Times)
Happy Tuesday
We all knew rats would take over New York City’s subway sooner or later. Yesterday, a rat was spotted carrying a slice of cheese pizza, more than twice its size, down a set of subway stairs. As a result, the little guy has become the latest internet celebrity. (Ask yourself: Are you Pizza Rat?) Matt Little, the comedian who captured it all, chatted with BuzzFeed News. “It’s all a metaphor for living in New York,” he said. “You have too far to go and too much carry. But life gives you as much as you can handle.” Good job Pizza Rat, we’re impressed.
This letter was edited and brought to you by Claire Moses and Millie Tran. You can always reach us here.