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“Governments Are Trying to Frighten Journalists”: Fmr. Guardian Head Alan Rusbridger on Assange Case

As Julian Assange awaits a decision from a British court on his possible extradition to the United States, Democracy Now! speaks with Alan Rusbridger, former editor-in-chief of The Guardian, who worked with Assange to publish hundreds of thousands of classified records from the U.S. acquired by WikiLeaks that document war crimes in the Middle East. “What the governments are now trying to do is to frighten journalists off,” says Rusbridger.

Press Freedom on Trial: Julian Assange’s Lawyer on Extradition Case & Criminalizing Journalism

At a critical hearing this week in London, lawyers for imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange asked the British High Court of Justice to grant him a new appeal in what is likely his last chance to avoid extradition to the United States, where he faces a 175-year prison sentence for publishing classified documents that exposed U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Colonialism, Occupation & Apartheid: African Countries See “Shared Experiences” with Palestinians

Leaders at this year’s African Union summit have condemned Israel’s assault on Gaza and called for its immediate end. Kenyan writer and political analyst Nanjala Nyabola explains the long history of African solidarity with Palestine, continuing with today’s efforts to end the destruction of Gaza. African countries “see really an identical experience between Palestinian occupation and what they have endured under colonization,” says Nyabola. “It’s a question of history.

Malcolm X Assassination: Former Security Guards Reveal New Details Pointing to FBI, NYPD Conspiracy

On the 59th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X, two former security guards are speaking out for the first time about how they were falsely arrested by the New York Police Department as part of a conspiracy to remove his protection before he was killed. We hear from Khaleel Sayyed, 81, who says he was detained on trumped-up charges just days before Malcolm X was fatally shot, and we speak with Ben Crump and Flint Taylor, two civil rights attorneys who are working with the family.

Frozen Embryos Are Children? Reproductive Care in Peril After Alabama Supreme Court Ruling

The Alabama Supreme Court has sent shockwaves through the world of reproductive healthcare, relying on anti-abortion language inserted into the state Constitution in 2018 about “rights of the unborn child” to rule that frozen embryos are children. Now Alabama’s largest hospital has paused in vitro fertilization treatments as it studies the impact of the ruling, which could set a template for other states to restrict IVF and other medical care.

Colonialism, Occupation & Apartheid: African Countries See “Shared Experiences” with Palestinians

Leaders at this year’s African Union summit have condemned Israel’s assault on Gaza and called for its immediate end. Kenyan writer and political analyst Nanjala Nyabola explains the long history of African solidarity with Palestine, continuing with today’s efforts to end the destruction of Gaza. African countries “see really an identical experience between Palestinian occupation and what they have endured under colonization,” says Nyabola. “It’s a question of history.

Russian Dissident Alexei Navalny Dies in Arctic Prison; “No Doubt” He Was Killed, Says Masha Gessen

More than 400 people have reportedly been detained in Russia for publicly mourning the death of Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic penal colony on Friday at age 47. He was the most prominent critic of Vladimir Putin in Russia and was serving a 19-year sentence at the time of his death on “extremism” charges. U.S. President Joe Biden and other Western leaders directly have blamed Putin for Navalny’s death.

“Borders on Pathological”: Trump Must Pay $450 Million for Lying to Lenders in Fraud Case

The legal setbacks facing leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump are piling up. He now has 30 days to pay $450 million in fines and penalties from a civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James. His two eldest sons face a two-year ban and were each ordered to pay $4 million. Trump says he plans to appeal the ruling, which he described as a “complete and total sham.

“They Were So Close”: Israel Kills Medics Trying to Save Dying 6-Year-Old Hind Rajab

We look at the case of Hind Rajab, the 6-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza whose case reverberated around the world when audio of her pleading for emergency workers to save her was published online. Her body was found two weeks later alongside those of her aunt, uncle and three cousins. The bodies of two Palestine Red Crescent paramedics, also missing since they had been dispatched to rescue her, were located in their ambulance just yards away. All had been killed by Israeli fire.

Russian Dissident Alexei Navalny Dies in Arctic Prison; “No Doubt” He Was Killed, Says Masha Gessen

More than 400 people have reportedly been detained in Russia for publicly mourning the death of Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic penal colony on Friday at age 47. He was the most prominent critic of Vladimir Putin in Russia and was serving a 19-year sentence at the time of his death on “extremism” charges. U.S. President Joe Biden and other Western leaders directly have blamed Putin for Navalny’s death.

“They Were So Close”: Israel Kills Medics Trying to Save Dying 6-Year-Old Hind Rajab

We look at the case of Hind Rajab, the 6-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza whose case reverberated around the world when audio of her pleading for emergency workers to save her was published online. Her body was found two weeks later alongside those of her aunt, uncle and three cousins. The bodies of two Palestine Red Crescent paramedics, also missing since they had been dispatched to rescue her, were located in their ambulance just yards away. All had been killed by Israeli fire.

Australian Parliament Calls for U.S. to Drop Case Against WikiLeaks’ Assange Ahead of U.K. Court Hearing

Imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is set to find out next week whether he has exhausted opportunities to avoid extradition to the United States, where he faces life in prison for publishing classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. A two-day hearing before the British High Court of Justice is scheduled to take place in London on Tuesday and Wednesday. He has been held in London’s infamous Belmarsh Prison since 2019 awaiting his possible extradition.

“I Died That Day in Parkland”: Shotline Uses AI-Generated Voices of Gun Victims to Call Congress

The shooting in Kansas City on Wednesday came on the sixth anniversary of the Parkland, Florida, school massacre that left 17 dead and injured 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. To mark the anniversary, gun control advocates have launched a project called “The Shotline,” which calls lawmakers with AI-generated audio messages that feature the voices of gun violence victims, pushing them to pass stricter gun control laws and prevent future tragedies.

“Uniquely American Hell”: Kansas City Shooting Highlights Missouri’s Pro-Gun Laws in “Pro-Life” State

In the first 46 days of 2024, there have been 49 mass shootings in the United States — over one per day. In total, almost 5,000 people have died from gun violence this year, including Elizabeth “Lisa” Lopez-Galvan, a radio host and mother of two who was shot and killed Wednesday at a rally held after the Super Bowl victory parade in Kansas City, Missouri. Twenty-two others were wounded, many of them children, when the shooting broke out near the end of the rally.

“They Were So Close”: Israel Kills Medics Trying to Save Dying 6-Year-Old Hind Rajab

We look at the case of Hind Rajab, the 6-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza whose case reverberated around the world when audio of her pleading for emergency workers to save her was published online. Her body was found two weeks later alongside those of her aunt, uncle and three cousins. The bodies of two Palestine Red Crescent paramedics, also missing since they had been dispatched to rescue her, were located in their ambulance just yards away. All had been killed by Israeli fire.

Australian Parliament Calls for U.S. to Drop Case Against WikiLeaks’ Assange Ahead of U.K. Court Hearing

Imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is set to find out next week whether he has exhausted opportunities to avoid extradition to the United States, where he faces life in prison for publishing classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. A two-day hearing before the British High Court of Justice is scheduled to take place in London on Tuesday and Wednesday. He has been held in London’s infamous Belmarsh Prison since 2019 awaiting his possible extradition.

“I Died That Day in Parkland”: Shotline Uses AI-Generated Voices of Gun Victims to Call Congress

The shooting in Kansas City on Wednesday came on the sixth anniversary of the Parkland, Florida, school massacre that left 17 dead and injured 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. To mark the anniversary, gun control advocates have launched a project called “The Shotline,” which calls lawmakers with AI-generated audio messages that feature the voices of gun violence victims, pushing them to pass stricter gun control laws and prevent future tragedies.

“Uniquely American Hell”: Kansas City Shooting Highlights Missouri’s Pro-Gun Laws in “Pro-Life” State

In the first 46 days of 2024, there have been 49 mass shootings in the United States — over one per day. In total, almost 5,000 people have died from gun violence this year, including Elizabeth “Lisa” Lopez-Galvan, a radio host and mother of two who was shot and killed Wednesday at a rally held after the Super Bowl victory parade in Kansas City, Missouri. Twenty-two others were wounded, many of them children, when the shooting broke out near the end of the rally.

Trump’s Legal and Political Strategies

Editor’s Note: Washington Week with The Atlantic is a partnership between NewsHour Productions, WETA, and The Atlantic airing every Friday on PBS stations nationwide. Check your local listings or watch full episodes here.
A New York judge has set March 25 as the start date in Donald Trump’s hush-money case, making it the first criminal trial against a former American president in U.S. history.

Trump campaign panics over leak of his support for a 16-week abortion ban

Just as quickly as news broke Friday that Donald Trump has been privately expressing support for a 16-week national abortion ban, the Trump campaign scrambled to shoot it down.

According to The New York Times, Trump is liking the idea of a 16-week ban with exceptions in the cases of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother. Naturally, Trump had devoted a lot of deep thinking to the matter.

“Know what I like about 16?” Trump told a confidant, according to the Times.

Even Steve Bannon is worried about Trump’s ability to govern

Normally, the Steve Bannon Experience feels a bit like shooting psychedelic toad venom into your eyeballs while Randy Quaid’s vestigial twin reads random 8chan posts, but occasionally he says something that sounds vaguely true-ish. 

It may be an accident. After all, a roomful of chimpanzees banging on typewriters could recreate all of Shakespeare’s works over trillions of years—or one teleprompter-ready Trump speech in about 15 minutes.