New harassment allegations roil independent radio and Literary community, with two longtime WNYC hosts suspended and Editor of Paris Review resigning. Judges weigh defamation suit by woman who accuses Trump of making sexual advances on her. Activists weigh response to Trump’s decision to attend opening of Mississippi civil rights museum. North Carolina County refuses to pay ransom to hackers that interfered with government computer system. Texas prisons ban 10,000 books including “Memoirs of a Geisha” and “Freakonomics”. The Trump Administration takes position that warrantless surveillance can continue even if authorization expires at year end. -Suzanne Nossel, Executive Director

The most pressing threats and notable goings-on in free expression today

U.S.

New Harassment Claims Oust Two WNYC Hosts, ‘Paris Review’ Editor
Workplace harassment claims continue to rock the media world this week, with investigations at New York Public Radio and the Paris Review prompting departures of several of the organizations’ longtime employees.
USA TODAY

NY Judge To Decide Whether Defamation Lawsuit Against Trump Can Move Forward
A New York state judge heard arguments from both sides in the defamation lawsuit of Summer Zervos, former contestant on The Apprentice, against President Trump. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Schecter will now rule on whether the case should move forward to trial.
FORBES

Trump Should Skip Civil Rights Museum Opening, NAACP Says, Calling His Plans to Attend ‘an Insult’
The
 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is urging President Trump to skip the opening celebration for a civil rights museum in Mississippi, which he plans to attend, with the organization’s leader sharply criticizing the president’s record on civil rights. 
THE WASHINGTON POST

North Carolina County Refuses to Pay $23,000 Ransom to Hackers
The government of Mecklenburg County, N.C. said that it would not pay a $23,000 ransom to a group of hackers who seized control of government computer systems.
THE NEW YORK TIMES

Texas Prisons Ban 10,000 Books. No ‘Charlie Brown Christmas’ for Inmates.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice banned 10,000 books in prisons, including best sellers like “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “A Time to Kill,” and “Freakonomics”. Not banned: “Mein Kampf” by Adolf Hitler and books by white nationalists, including David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard.
THE NEW YORK TIMES

Warrantless Surveillance Can Continue Even if Law Expires, Officials Say
The Trump administration has decided that the National Security Agency and the F.B.I. can lawfully keep operating their warrantless surveillance program even if Congress fails to extend the law authorizing it before an expiration date of New Year’s Eve.
THE NEW YORK TIMES

 
Global

What Happens When the State Uses Facebook as a Weapon?
Since being elected in May 2016, Duterte has turned Facebook into a weapon. The same Facebook personalities who fought dirty to see Duterte win are taking down opponents, including a prominent senator and human-rights activist who became the target of vicious online attacks and was ultimately jailed on a drug charge.
BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK

Pro-Establishment Supporters Jailed for Illegal Protest Under Same Rules That Saw Nathan Law Put Behind Bars
Four pro-establishment supporters convicted of taking part in an illegal protest that saw pro-democracy student activist Nathan Law Kwun-chung being assaulted were jailed for three months.
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

Apple’s Tim Cook: No Point Yelling at China
Tim Cook defended Apple’s move to pull hundreds of apps from its China store to comply with Beijing’s demands. “Your choice is, do you participate or do you stand on the sideline and yell at how things should be . . . My own view very strongly is you show up and you participate . . . because nothing ever changes from the sideline.”
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Australia Legalizes Same-sex Marriage
After a nationwide postal survey showed the majority of Australians favor legalizing same-sex marriage, Australia’s Parliament followed through with legislation, which allows same-sex unions to take place starting in January, making Australia the 26th nation to legalize same-sex marriage.
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

Ousted Turkish Beauty Queen May Face Jail Time over Tweet
A former Turkish beauty pageant winner may face up to a year in prison over a tweet referring to last year’s failed military coup that cost her “Miss Turkey” title.
REUTERS

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