DARE: U.S. Officials Say Yassmin Abdel-Magied Deported for Not Having Correct Visa
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PEN World Voices Festival participant Yassmin Abdel-Magied is turned back from the U.S. by Customs and Border Protection, preventing her from participating in the upcoming Festival (see PEN America statement on the urgency of facilitating unimpeded discourse here). Federal prosecutors are investigating President Trump’s relationship with the National Enquirer, including the role his lawyer Michael Cohen may have played in suppressing unfavorable stories. Trump tweets plug of Sean Hannity show focusing on conspiracy theories involving Mueller, Comey, and the Clintons. -Suzanne Nossel, Chief Executive Officer
The most pressing threats and notable goings-on in free expression today
U.S.
U.S. Officials Say Yassmin Abdel-Magied Deported for Not Having Correct Visa
Abdel-Magied was due to speak at the PEN World Voices Festival but was denied entry to the U.S. in Minneapolis. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol “determined [she] did not possess the appropriate visa” and was put on an Amsterdam-bound plane.
GUARDIAN
Investigators Focus on Another Trump Ally: The National Enquirer
The tabloid could pose serious legal implications for the president and his campaign committee, presenting questions about A.M.I.’s First Amendment protections, and whether its record in supporting Trump opens the door to scrutiny.
NEW YORK TIMES
Trump Promotes Conspiratorial ‘Hannity’ Episode Calling Mueller Part of ‘Deep State Crime Families’
President Trump implored followers to tune in to Fox News featuring Hannity outlining, with the help of a conspiratorial board, the “criminal” connections of the Clintons, special counsel Robert Mueller, and former FBI Director James Comey.
DAILY BEAST
Young Americans Fearful of Future of Democracy: Poll
A Harvard Institute of Politics poll found that 64 percent of young, voting-age Americans are more fearful about the future of democracy in the country than they are hopeful.
HILL
Global
Myanmar Court Refuses to Free Reuters Journalists *PEN Case List
A Myanmar court rejected a motion, citing discrepancies in witness statements, to drop the case against the two Reuters journalists who were detained in December and accused of violating the country’s Official Secrets Act.
AL JAZEERA
How China Uses Forced Confessions as Propaganda Tool
Chinese authorities routinely coerce detainees into making statements that serve the government’s propaganda needs. These “confessions” are used as warnings to those who challenge the state and discredit accusations of abuses of power.
NEW YORK TIMES
Vietnam Jails Two More Activists in Stepped Up Crackdown
Nguyen Viet Dung, convicted of spreading anti-state propaganda, and Xuan, accused of affiliating with an outlawed group named Brotherhood for Democracy, were jailed for attempting to overthrow the government and spreading anti-state propaganda.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Google Removes ‘Russia Won the White House for You, Donald Trump’ Billboard in Censorship Row
A project by campaigning organization “Reporters Without Borders” that put messages criticizing world leaders on billboards that appeared on Google Street View has had the images removed by the tech company.
CNBC
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