## Historian of Fascism Claims Trump Is Speeding Towards Dictatorship Faster Than Putin

Authored by thedailybeast.com

A leading expert on fascism claims the United States’ slide towards authoritarianism is unlike anything seen in modern times.

Speaking to Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat on Sunday evening, MSNBC’s Catherine Rampell asked if the current gutting of government programmes and social services by the Trump administration bore any resemblance to the “democratic backsliding” seen when countries transition into authoritarianism.

“If you look at the early Putin or the early Orban or Erdogan, they didn’t move at this speed.

Trump's slide into authoritarianism has outpaced even Vladimir Putin during his rise to power.

So the communists would, you know, use psychiatrists to say that dissidents or journalists who didn’t agree with the regime had to go to psychiatric hospitals.

In a previous interview prior to Trump’s re-election, Ben-Ghiat drew comparisons to Nazi Germany to demonstrate the speed with which an advanced nation can succumb to authoritarianism.

And then he came in, and he did things very quickly,” she told the Guardian last July. »

### Young woman's strip search at festival akin to 'sexual assault', court told

Authored by abc.net.au

The young woman leading a class action over strip searches was subjected to a "degrading and humiliating" experience "akin to a sexual assault" by NSW Police at a music festival in 2018, a court has heard.

She said police did not follow the statutory safeguards that NSW parliament had put in place around strip searches.

"She was not asked for her consent, she was questioned during the search, the search was not done in private," Ms Nomchong said. »

### Trump Orders Reopening of Alcatraz—The ‘Prison of Hell’—to Jail the Most Ruthless and Violent Criminals in the U.S.

Authored by verdaily.com

According to his Truth Social post, the measure is intended to imprison the “most ruthless and violent” criminals in the United States—as it once did.

“The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE.

Alcatraz prison is located on a rocky island and surrounded by the cold waters of San Francisco Bay. »

### ‘India Looking For Partners, Not Preachers’: Jaishankar’s Sharp Dig At Europe

Authored by news18.com

Some of Europe is still struggling with that problem.".

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday took a dig at some European countries, saying India was looking for partners and not preachers who do not practice the same principles at home.

He also said that Europe was getting a reality check as it was finally seeing the realities of multipolarity today. »

### ‘60 Minutes’ Thumbs Its Nose at Trump With Scathing Segment

Authored by thedailybeast.com

Marc Elias, a longtime Trump opponent name-dropped in a March executive order, slammed the moves as an assault on the entire legal profession.

“Donald Trump is the walking embodiment of everything that is wrong with the American political system,” Elias said.

John Keker, a high-profile attorney in San Francisco, suggested that Trump was running a protection racket. »

## In pictures

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