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On the same day President Trump directly attacks the New York Times as the ‘enemy of the people,’ law enforcement officials uncover Maryland man’s plot to target journalists and elected officials in ‘widespread terrorist attack.’ (See PEN America’s reaction to this incident, and find out more about PEN America v. Trump, part of our efforts to defend press freedom against attacks and encroachments from the administration.) Los Angeles judge rules in favor of public access to records of shootings, use of force, and other forms of misconduct by police officers in California. CNN tracks legal challenges to Trump’s emergency declaration. Southern Poverty Law Center finds the number of known hate groups in the United States reaches an all-time high. -Anoosh Gasparian, External Relations Manager

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

U.S.

A Self-Proclaimed White Nationalist Planned a Mass Terrorist Attack, the Government Says
A U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant and self-identified white nationalist was arrested after federal investigators uncovered a cache of weapons and ammunition in his Maryland home that authorities say he stockpiled to launch a widespread domestic terrorist attack targeting politicians and journalists.
WASHINGTON POST

Secret Records of Police Misconduct and Shootings Must Be Released Under New Law, L.A. Judge Rules
A Los Angeles judge dealt a blow this week to law enforcement unions trying to limit the scope of a landmark transparency law, ruling that records from shootings, use of force, and some misconduct by police officers in California are public even if they occurred before the new law took effect this year.
LOS ANGELES TIMES

Tracking the Legal Challenges to Trump’s Emergency Declaration
The argument at the core of each lawsuit is similar: Trump exceeded his authority and circumvented Congress in an attempt to achieve his signature campaign promise for an emergency that, plaintiffs argue, doesn’t exist.
CNN

Number of Hate Groups Reaches All-Time High, Southern Poverty Law Center Report Says
The center, which has been monitoring hate groups and other extremists since the 1980s, counted 1,020 hate groups in the U.S.—“the most the SPLC has ever counted,” said the director of the law center’s Intelligence Project.
NBC NEWS

 
Global

Tunisians Celebrate Landmark Ruling Against President
Tunisian court set a major precedent recently by ruling against the country’s president in a lawsuit he had filed claiming an activist’s comments threatened and offended him.
AL-MONITOR

Bangladesh Actress Ordered to Take down ‘Vulgar’ Social Media Images
Provocative selfies earned Bangladeshi social media star Sanai Mahbub a reprimand from Bangladesh police, as authorities in the conservative Muslim country step up their campaign against adult content online.
GULF NEWS

Sri Lanka Police Officer Assaults Tamil Journalist in Jaffna
Journalist Kugarajah Nadarajah of DAN TV said he was attacked by a senior police officer while covering a suspected arson attack on a house in Kokuvil in Sri Lanka.
JDS

China Is Now Censoring What Movies Come Out in Other Countries, Too
“In another era, it’s not hard to imagine a director of Zhang [Yimou’s] stature relocating to Hollywood or Europe where he could make movies without censorship. Now, he might have a hard time finding Western studios or distributors interested in working with a director deemed problematic by Beijing.”
SLATE

DARE is a project of PEN America’s #LouderTogether campaign, bringing you a daily-curated roundup of the most important free expression-related news from the U.S. and abroad. Send your feedback and story suggestions to [email protected]