Trump’s been indicted again and there’s plenty to say about that, which others will handle. But I want to focus on a different story that likely will be overlooked with the national focus on Trump.
The two stories may seem unrelated but they are in fact two sides of the same coin — the rise of autocracy in America. Freedom of the Press is an essential part of democracy and it is under assault in America on many levels in unacceptable ways.
In the latest assault in a small town in Kansas, and I quote the Wichita Eagle, “Marion city police and the Marion County sheriff’s office did something on Friday that no government agency in America has any right to do. They shut down a newspaper.”
This case has a number of provocative details. I’ve included multiple links below about what happened and urge each reader to check into them and decide what you think.
I know what I think. This kind of abuse of government authority is a precursor to authoritarianism, which is on the rise here and around the world. It has no place in America.
The officials behind the raid must be punished and the newspaper allowed to obtain restitution. But one tragic impact of the illegal raid can never be fixed.
The elderly co-owner of the small community newspaper was overcome by stress and died soon after her home was raided. Therefore, the police and the sheriff responsible for this outrage not only have violated the Constitution, they have her blood on their hands.
RELATED LINKS:
98-Year-Old Co-Owner Of US Newspaper Dies Of 'Stress' After Police Raids —The Kansas Press Association described the search as "unprecedented" and "an assault on the very foundation of democracy." (NDTV)
A five-cop Kansas police department is facing criticism after it raided the offices of the Marion County Record and the home of its publisher and owner. The co-owner of the paper collapsed and died later, with her son blaming the stress of the raid. Publisher Eric Meyer believes the raid was prompted by an unflattering story about a local business owner. [AP]
After a police raid on a Kansas newspaper, questions mount (WP)
Raid of Small Kansas Newspaper Raises Free Press Concerns (NYT)
Raid on Kansas newspaper is an intolerable overreach by police (Wichita Eagle)
OTHER NEWS LINKS:
Georgia charges Trump, former advisers in 2020 election case. The sprawling 98-page indictment listed 19 defendants and 41 criminal counts in all. All of the defendants were charged with racketeering, which is used to target members of organized crime groups and carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. (Reuters)
Read the indictment against Trump in Georgia case (Axios)
Georgia prosecutors have messages showing Trump’s team is behind voting system breach (CNN)
'Daring the judge': Donald Trump attacks judge in 2020 election case, despite her warnings (USA Today)
Two Months in Georgia: How Trump Tried to Overturn the Vote (NYT)
Hawaii churches offer prayers for the dead and the missing after devastating Maui wildfires (AP)
Rising political threats take US into uncharted territory as 2024 election looms (AP)
Lawyers for Hunter Biden said in a court filing that prosecutors reneged on a plea deal that would have resolved tax and firearms charges against the US president’s son as his father seeks reelection. (Reuters)
Ironically, states’ rights are crushing the GOP’s abortion agenda (The Hill)
Abortion Is Inflaming the GOP’s Biggest Electoral Problem — Ohio showed how abortion is weakening the Republican Party’s position in the nation’s largest metro areas. (Atlantic)
Russian Ruble at Weakest Level Since Early Days of Ukraine War (WSJ)
The Taliban are entrenched in Afghanistan after 2 years of rule. Women and girls pay the price (AP)
The reset in the US strategy on engaging the Taliban may work (Al Jazeera)
Afghan universities ready to readmit women but not until Taliban leader says it’s ok, official says (AP)
Islam Does Not Ban Girls' Education. So Why Does The Taliban? (RFE)
AI is going to eliminate way more jobs than anyone realizes (Insider)
AI facial recognition led to 8-month pregnant woman's wrongful carjacking arrest in front of kids: lawsuit (Fox)
"Any cybersecurity company failing to leverage AI is obsolete" (CTech)
AI Hallucinations Could Be a Cybersecurity Risk (MUO)
How AI is filtering millions of qualified candidates out of the workforce (EuroNews)
Why the Great AI Backlash Came for a Tiny Startup You’ve Probably Never Heard Of (Wired)
Amazon adds AI-generated review summaries so you don’t have to read the comments (The Verge)
Modern romance: falling in love with AI (CNN)
AI is setting off a great scramble for data (Economist)
3 ways AI is transforming music (The Conversation)
Time To Redesign Your Career For The Age Of Artificial Intelligence (Forbes)
How to Prevent an AI Catastrophe (Foreign Affairs)
CEO Promotes Self To Senior CEO (The Onion)
No comments:
Post a Comment