Fetterman torches Democratic Party in new book: ‘Elitist,’ ‘lost touch’ with working class
Botched policies, ignoring reality and turning their backs on the voters that built the party are the key ingredients that Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., believed helped Democrats lose big last year. In his memoir “Unfettered,” Fetterman unloaded on the Democratic Party and his colleagues’ missteps that he argued led to President Donald Trump’s victory over former Vice President Kamala Harris and a sea change in Washington, D.C. Fetterman argued that the Democratic Party had lost touch with the working class, a key bloc of voters that at one point made up the backbone of the party. DEMOCRATS, LEFT EMPTY-HANDED IN SHUTDOWN, TURN FURY ON SCHUMER In particular, it was the attacks on men, be it through speeches or legislation, that helped turn the Democratic Party into an elitist organization too focused on “celebrity endorsements,” he said. In turn, those who voted for Trump perceived “Democrats as soft and gooey, with a platform built on ideals that weren’t based in the reality of the average person.” “We became the party of the elites, one that had lost touch with its base,” he wrote. “Also, the continued speech and policies against men have not been without consequences. “If men are forced to choose between picking their party or keeping their balls, most men are going to choose their balls.” Fetterman’s book, released Tuesday, comes at a particular inflection point for Democrats. The party had spent much of the year searching for a binding message to both rebuild their brand with voters and build unity among their ranks in Congress. SENATE ENDS 41-DAY GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN STALEMATE, SENDS BIPARTISAN DEAL TO HOUSE That came with the government shutdown, when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the majority of the caucus moved in lockstep with demands that the government wouldn’t reopen until expiring Obamacare subsidies were dealt with. Schumer’s failure to prevent a cohort of Senate Democrats, including Fetterman, from crossing the aisle to join Republicans has earned him heat from progressives in the House and outside the walls of Congress. Despite often straying from Schumer’s position, particularly throughout the shutdown, Fetterman wrote sparingly of the top Senate Democrat. Instead, he is briefly mentioned when reflecting on Schumer’s 2023 decision to change the dress code on the Senate floor to accommodate Fetterman, whose standard dress is a baggy hoodie and basketball shorts. But Schumer caved on that initiative, too, in early 2024. MIKE JOHNSON EYES WEDNESDAY VOTE WITH END OF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IN SIGHT “Schumer was forced to reverse himself and enforce a dress code aimed at me,” Fetterman wrote. One policy area in particular that Fetterman felt Democrats had failed was immigration. He reiterated that while he was pro-immigration, Democrats’ unwillingness to tackle the growing crisis at the southern border under former President Joe Biden was something he couldn’t get behind. He wrote that Democrats’ assertion that “an open border is a compassionate policy” wasn’t based in reality. “It is chaos, both for those immigrants and for the citizens impacted by the overwhelming number of people coming in who need assistance,” he wrote. And, further, that position likely played a large factor in Trump and the GOP’s across-the-board victories in 2024, Fetterman argued. “Democrats were swearing up and down that the border was secure and telling its voters to not believe their own eyes,” he wrote. “I suspect this may have been the deciding factor in the 2024 election. You can’t tell people to not believe their own eyes and expect to win elections.”
White House provides Trump health update after MRI scan concerns swirled
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that President Donald Trump “remains in exceptional physical health” after concerns have swirled in recent months, including when the president received an MRI scan in October. “As stated in the memo provided on October 10th, President Trump received advanced imaging at Walter Reed Medical Center as part of his routine physical examination,” Leavitt said during Wednesday’s White House press briefing. “The full results were reviewed by attending radiologists and consultants, and all agreed that President Trump remains in exceptional physical health.” The response followed a member of the media asking for additional details as to why Trump received an MRI during a checkup at Walter Reed National Military Center in Maryland in October. RESULTS OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S PHYSICAL RELEASED, HERE’S WHAT THEY SAY “I got an MRI, it was perfect,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One in October. “I gave you the full results,” he added. “We had an MRI, and the machine, you know, the whole thing, and it was perfect.” The checkup in October has been described as routine by the administration, with Trump’s physician reporting that Trump is in “exceptional health.” Media outlets and others have fanned the flames of concerns around Trump’s health earlier in 2025 when he was spotted with swollen legs in July while attending the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey, as well as when other photos that same month showed him with bruises on his hands. TRUMP DECLARED IN ‘EXCELLENT OVERALL HEALTH’ BY DOCTOR AFTER WALTER REED VISIT Leavitt said in July, while reading a health memo, that Trump’s swollen legs were part of a “benign and common condition” for individuals older than age 70, while the bruising on his hands was attributable to “frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.” Navy Capt. Sean P. Barbabella, the physician to the president, wrote in a memorandum to Leavitt following the October checkup that the visit was part of an ongoing health maintenance plan that included “advanced imaging, laboratory testing and preventative health assessments conducted by multidisciplinary team of specialists.” Barbabella said in his October summary that Trump, “remains in exceptional health, exhibiting strong cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, and physical performance.” TRUMP TO GET ANNUAL PHYSICAL, SAYING HE’S ‘NEVER FELT BETTER’ The checkup was Trump’s second in 2025, following an April visit that Barbabella said found Trump “remains in excellent health.” Leavitt added Wednesday that Trump is slated to hold a dinner later that evening, which she said might include press attendance where the media could see Trump’s physical state themselves. “I know all of you will see with your own eyes later this evening when he opens up his dinner to the press, and perhaps you will see him when he signs the bill to reopen the federal government,” she said. “So stay tuned on plans for that.” Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
JD Vance hails Trump admin’s ‘bulldozer’ approach to public health, discusses how Appalachia was ‘left behind’
Vice President JD Vance praised President Donald Trump’s “bulldozer” approach to public health, calling it a necessary force that “just had to happen,” during remarks at Wednesday’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) summit. The summit, held at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C., was centered on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s MAHA movement — aimed at improving nutrition, eliminating toxins, preserving natural habitats and fighting the chronic disease epidemic in the U.S. “That is a good summary of Donald J. Trump is that he takes a bulldozer to Overton windows every single day,” Vance told the HHS secretary during the event. “It just had to happen… One of the criticisms that Bobby will always get, and I always think it’s such b——-, excuse my language… [is that] sometimes there’s this attack where people say that conclusion is not supported by the science, or this or that conclusion is a conspiracy theory.” “Science, as practiced in its best form, is that if you disagree with it, then you ought to criticize it, and you ought to argue against it. You can’t shut down the debate,” Vance continued. “If you look at all the big public health debates that we’ve had in this country over the last 20 or 30 years… they tried to silence the people who were saying things that were outside the Overton window. As we found out the hard way over the last few years, it was very often that people who were outside the Overton window were actually right, and all the experts were wrong.” TRUMP WILL MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN WITH AN UNLIKELY COALITION Vance went on to say the country could not advance unless Americans become comfortable with people who are “willing to challenge orthodoxy.” He also vowed to keep Appalachia in the forefront of the conversation, noting residents have higher premature mortality rates due to a long history of being failed by the public health system. “You know what really p—– people off — when they realize that their loved ones are dying much sooner than everybody else,” said Vance, whose autobiography, “Hillbilly Elegy,” details his own upbringing in Appalachia. “That is a big part of the story of what’s going on in Appalachia, and why I think so many people in Appalachia feel left behind.” VP’S OFFICE RESPONDS TO PA GOV WHO SAID VANCE BETRAYED APPALACHIAN ROOTS WITH ‘BULL—- POLITICS’ OVER SNAP He described himself as “the golden boy” of Appalachia, admitting he feels guilt about the many people who grew up in families like his and have not had an easy life or the same amount of economic opportunity. “That gives me a sense of purpose because I want those people to have the same opportunities that I’ve had,” Vance said. “But it also gives me a great sense of anger, because we never should have gotten to the point that we are today. The reason that we have, is because of failed leadership over generations.” When discussing the people of Appalachia, he said they are people who, “though they don’t have much, would take the shirt off their back and give it to a complete stranger, because that’s what you do.” “If you go back to America’s biggest wars — World War I, World War II, Vietnam — which were the counties that filled their draft quotas with volunteers instead of with draftees?” Vance posed. “It’s very often the parts in deep Appalachia where you’ve got grinding poverty, but you’ve also got this incredible love of country.” “So if any place in this country deserves not to be left behind, it’s Appalachia… These are people who deserve to live better, healthier lives, but they really have been left behind by this country’s leadership,” Vance added.
Dems pull out all the stops to keep Obamacare subsidies fight alive after vote to reopen government
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., announced a long-shot plan to force the House of Representatives to vote on a three-year extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies. During a closed-door meeting on Wednesday, Jeffries said Democrats would submit a discharge petition that, if successful, would bring the subsidies to a vote in the chamber over the objection of GOP leadership, giving Democrats a way to continue pursuing their shutdown demands. “The House Democratic position is going to be the House Democratic position,” Jeffries said shortly after leaving the meeting. “We believe that the American people — given the Republican refusal to act and find a bipartisan path forward — should be given the same level of certainty that Republicans have continued to give the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected.” JEFFRIES REVEALS LAST-MINUTE MOVE TO EXTEND COVID-ERA SUBSIDIES AS HOUSE SHUTDOWN VOTE LOOMS The three-year window for the proposed extension coincides with the duration of President Donald Trump’s second term, which ends in 2028. In response to the plan, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said the discharge effort was an ill-conceived attempt to give a new lease on life to a program that was always supposed to be temporary. “There’s a reason Democrats set these inefficient subsidies to expire. COVID ended — it’s time these insurance company credits do, too. Republicans have real solutions to lower premiums for hardworking families, and they don’t include bailing out insurance companies that are increasing prices,” Scalise said. The whip also slammed the high health insurance costs that the Obamacare tax credits subsidize. “Democrats created the healthcare mess with Obamacare that has resulted in 80% increases in premiums. Now their only solution to those skyrocketing premium increases is to bail out insurance companies with billions in taxpayer subsidies. These COVID subsidies are rife with waste, fraud and abuse,” Scalise said. MODERATE DEM UNDERCUTS JEFFRIES ON OBAMACARE COMPROMISE AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN WEARS ON The petition, which Jeffries said Democrats would likely submit later on Wednesday, would require 218 votes to succeed. Democrats hold 213 seats — soon to be 214 seats with the addition of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva. Even so, Democrats would need the assistance of at least four Republicans to force consideration of the subsidies. Democrats have sought the extension to the credits since the government plunged into a government shutdown on Oct. 1. Democrats, led by Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., refused to consider spending legislation without first extending the subsidies in some way. Congress first passed them as an emergency response to COVID-19 in 2021. Democrats fear that the expiration of those subsidies at the end of the year could leave millions of Obamacare policyholders with significantly higher premiums overnight. Now that Congress looks poised to escape the shutdown — without any action on the subsidies — Democrats have pulled out all the stops to put the extension on the floor. Earlier this week, they attempted to pass it as a unanimous consent agreement. On Tuesday, Democrats submitted an extension as an amendment to legislation to reopen the government. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, said she supported the most recent attempt. “I support a three-year extension. I was supportive — I thought it was a very reasonable thing that the Senate did, which was a one-year extension,” DeLauro said, referring to a plan floated by Schumer in the Senate. OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES AT CENTER OF DEM SHUTDOWN FIGHT ‘FUEL’ HEALTHCARE COST INFLATION, CONSERVATIVES SAY Republicans rejected the one-year extension proposal. Rep. Melanie Stansburry, D-N.M., said Democrats had upped their demands when it became clear Republicans wouldn’t agree to a shorter timeline. “What I can say is that the original negotiating position of Democrats in the House and Senate had been a two-year extension that was obviously rejected,” Stansbury said. “I certainly support it and will be signing it.” In the event the discharge petition collects the needed 218 votes, it’s unclear when it will reach the floor for consideration. The House of Representatives will entertain funding legislation on Wednesday night that would end the ongoing, 43-day shutdown.
Data shows flight delays and cancellations rising even as shutdown winds down
As lawmakers work to finalize a deal to reopen the government, aviation officials warn that the effects of the shutdown won’t disappear overnight and could drag into the busy holiday season. Rebuilding schedules, restoring staffing levels and regaining public confidence could take weeks, a reminder of how quickly political gridlock can bring the nation’s airways to a standstill. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ISSUE DESPERATE PLEA AS FAMILIES STRUGGLE WITHOUT PAYCHECKS And as the final days of the shutdown drag on, major hubs like Chicago O’Hare, Newark Liberty in New Jersey and Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta have seen the brunt of flight delays and cancellations among the 30 core U.S. airports, according to FlightAware data. Between Sunday and 1:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, more than 26,000 flights across the U.S. were delayed and another 7,500 were canceled, FlightAware data shows. FLIGHT DELAYS WORSEN AS UNPAID AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS FEEL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN PAIN Of the four major airlines analyzed — Southwest, United, American and Delta — Southwest has logged the most flight delays nationwide this week, while Delta recorded the highest number of cancellations, according to FlightAware data. The Dallas-based carrier has reported just over 9,000 flight delays so far this week, while Atlanta-based Delta has canceled more than 1,300 flights. Even before the shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration was grappling with a shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers. With Congress still deadlocked, about 13,000 controllers and 50,000 TSA agents are working without pay. That strain has only deepened as nationwide staffing shortages disrupt air travel, causing tens of thousands of delays and affecting more than 3.2 million passengers, according to airline estimates.
Trump issues sweeping pardons for 2020 election allies — what the move really means
President Donald Trump issued pardons for more than 70 people accused of seeking to overturn the 2020 election results. The move largely has been viewed as a symbolic gesture, as the presidential pardons only cover federal charges and those involved don’t have any federal charges leveled against them. Among those pardoned were Trump allies like former New York City mayor and the president’s former personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who peddled claims that the 2020 election was “stolen” from Trump and is embroiled in a case in Arizona where he faces state charges for election interference. Although the pardons cannot extend to state charges like those Giuliani faces in Arizona, the pardons could pave the way for some to attempt to redeem their reputation, according to Walter Olson, a senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute’s Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies. TRUMP PARDONS RUDY GIULIANI, MARK MEADOWS, SIDNEY POWELL, OTHERS INVOLVED IN 2020 ELECTION INTERFERENCE SAGA Olson said that while the pardon itself cannot reverse a disbarment, loss of license or loss of employment, the pardon could provide fuel for the pardon beneficiaries to pursue reconsideration of these consequences. “What other purpose is served by pardoning someone who hasn’t been charged with any federal crime?” Olson said in a Tuesday email to Fox News Digital. “Some of the beneficiaries will treat this gesture as if it vindicates their good name, or establishes that they should not have been disbarred or disgraced. But those are not things a presidential pardon can do.” For example, Giuliani was disbarred in both New York and Washington in 2024. The Manhattan appeals court in New York determined in July 2024 that Giuliani routinely made inaccurate statements about the 2020 election, and the decision said he “baselessly attacked and undermined the integrity of this country’s electoral process.” Even so, Olson said there could be some benefit for those pardoned — even if they don’t face federal charges — in the event it could protect them from prosecution from a future administration. However, those benefits could be limited in this instance, he said. TRUMP COMMUTES GEORGE SANTOS’ SENTENCE, PARDON BLITZ WIPES OUT COSTLY FEDERAL INVESTIGATIONS “That angle is less important if the passage of time has meant that prosecution would be barred anyway by relevant statutes of limitation, as is likely to be the case with many charges here,” Olson said. While proponents of the pardons claim that they restore justice, critics have blasted them as an attempt to undermine democracy. “First, Trump pardoned the violent insurrectionists who beat cops. Now, he pardons the key instigators of January 6th,” Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said in a Monday social media post. “We need to see this for what it is: An attempt to erase history, so it can be repeated.” BIDEN’S AUTO-PEN PARDONS DISTURBED DOJ BRASS, DOCS SHOW, RAISING QUESTIONS WHETHER THEY ARE LEGALLY BINDING Meanwhile, Giuliani’s team claimed that he didn’t seek a pardon from Trump, but argued that the pardon is grounds for Giuliani to have his bar license restored. “Mayor Rudy Giuliani stands by his work following the 2020 presidential election, when he responded to the legitimate concerns of thousands of everyday Americans,” Ted Goodman, a spokesperson for Giuliani, said in a Monday post on X. “Mayor Giuliani never sought a pardon but is deeply grateful for President Trump’s decision,” Goodman said. “This action further highlights the years of unjust attacks against the mayor and so many others, and reinforces what should now be clear to everyone—Mayor Giuliani deserves to have his bar license immediately reinstated without delay.” GEORGE SANTOS SNAPS AT CNN HOST OVER IDEA TRUMP GAVE HIM ‘FAVORABLE TREATMENT’ The White House did not provide comment to Fox News Digital on why the pardons were issued now, but compared charges Trump allies faced to “communist tactics.” “These great Americans were persecuted and put through hell by the Biden administration for challenging an election, which is the cornerstone of democracy,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday. “Getting prosecuted for challenging results is something that happens in communist Venezuela, not the United States of America, and President Trump is putting an end to the Biden regime’s communist tactics once and for all.” Other prominent figures pardoned include former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell. Justice Department pardon attorney Ed Martin announced the pardons Sunday. Trump previously has issued pardons for those involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, which occurred as Congress was poised to certify the 2020 election results. In January, just hours after his inauguration, Trump pardoned more than 1,500 charged with crimes stemming from the attack. Among those were Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys leader, who faced a sentence of 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump ‘spent hours’ with victim at Epstein’s house, email alleges
A 2011 email sent by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein says that United States President Donald Trump “spent hours” with one of the victims – an allegation that is likely to further fuel calls for releasing files relating to the late, disgraced financier. The email, made public by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, was sent to Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year jail sentence for sex trafficking. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “i want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is trump. [Victim] spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned,” Epstein wrote according to the email, which was shared with the victim’s name redacted. It is not clear what Epstein was referring to. The email was sent to Maxwell two years after Epstein had spent 13 months in prison for his sex crimes. Maxwell responded, “I have been thinking about that…” In another email, sent in 2019, Epstein says Trump “knew about the girls”. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt dismissed the emails on Wednesday, saying that they were “selectively released”. “The ‘unnamed victim’ referenced in these emails is the late Virginia Giuffre, who repeatedly said President Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing whatsoever and ‘couldn’t have been friendlier’ to her in their limited interactions,” Leavitt said in a statement. “The fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club decades ago for being a creep to his female employees, including Giuffre.” Trump has previously acknowledged that he had issues with Epstein because the late sex offender recruited – or as the US president put it, “stole” – young women who worked at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Advertisement The US president had personal ties to Epstein – a millionaire who was connected to powerful figures in politics, popular culture, finance and academia – and later became known for his rampant sex abuse against girls and young women. Epstein first pled guilty to charges of solicitation of prostitution with a minor in 2008 and was given a lenient sentence that critics describe as a sweetheart deal that did not match the severity of the offence. After the Miami Herald investigated the prosecution against Epstein, federal authorities reopened the case against him, arrested him and charged him with sex trafficking of minors in 2019. Two months later, he was found dead in his jail cell in New York City. His death was ruled a suicide. Epstein’s associates included former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, the United Kingdom’s Prince Andrew, and former US President Bill Clinton. The scandal and the manner in which Epstein died have fuelled conspiracy theories and speculations that he may have been working for foreign or domestic intelligence services. Some activists – including many Trump supporters – have been calling for years for the release of all government documents relating to Epstein. But the Trump administration has refused to make the so-called Epstein files public, citing the privacy of the victims. Earlier this year, the Justice Department and FBI also dismissed claims that Epstein may have used his sex trafficking operation to blackmail people who frequented his home and private island, reasserting that he died by suicide. “Through this review, we found no basis to revisit the disclosure of those materials and will not permit the release of child pornography,” they said in a memo in July. “One of our highest priorities is combating child exploitation and bringing justice to victims. Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends.” The US president also scolded commentators who are focused on Epstein, calling the issue a “waste of time”. But many of the president’s supporters were not satisfied with that explanation, especially after leaks and allegations raised questions about Trump’s own relationship with Epstein. Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal published what it said was a birthday card with sexual connotations that Trump sent to Epstein with a message written inside of a drawing of a naked woman. Trump denied writing or drawing the card and sued the newspaper over the allegation. In June, after former White House billionaire aide Elon Musk fell out with the US president, he said, “the real reason” Trump has not released the “Epstein files” is that he is mentioned in them. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Will South Africa’s Biko inquest finally yield justice for struggle icon?
Cape Town, South Africa – On an August evening in 1977, 30‑year‑old Steve Biko was on his way back from an aborted secret meeting with an anti-apartheid activist in Cape Town, taking the 12‑hour drive back home to King William’s Town. But it was a journey the resistance fighter would never finish, for he was arrested and, less than a month later, was dead. Against the backdrop of increasingly harsh racist laws in South Africa, Biko, a bold and forthright youth leader, had emerged as one of the loudest voices calling for change and Black self-determination. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list A famously charming and eloquent speaker, he was often touted as Nelson Mandela’s likely successor in the struggle for freedom after the core of the anti-apartheid leadership was jailed in the 1960s. But his popularity also made him a prime target of the apartheid regime, which put him under banning orders that severely restricted his movement, political activities, and associations; imprisoned him for his political activism; and ultimately caused his death in detention – a case that continues to resonate decades later, largely because none of the perpetrators have ever been brought to justice. On September 12 this year, 48 years after Biko died, South Africa’s Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi ordered a new inquest into his death. The hearing resumed at the Eastern Cape High Court on Wednesday before being postponed to January 30. There are “two persons of interest” implicated in Biko’s death who are still alive, according to the country’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), which aims to determine whether there is enough evidence that he was murdered, and therefore grounds to prosecute his killers. Advertisement While Biko’s family has welcomed the hearings, the long wait for justice has been frustrating, especially for his children. “There is no such thing as joy in dealing with the case of murder,” Nkosinathi Biko, Biko’s eldest son, who was six at the time of his father’s death, told Al Jazeera. “Death is full and final, and no outcome will be restorative of the lost life.” The Biko inquest is one of several probes into suspicious apartheid-era deaths that South Africa’s justice minister reopened this year. The inquiries are part of the government’s plan to address past atrocities and provide closure to families of the deceased, the NPA says. But analysts note that the inquest comes amid growing public pressure on the government to bring about the justice it promised 30 years ago, as a new judicial inquiry is also probing allegations that South Africa’s democratic government intentionally blocked prosecutions of apartheid-era crimes. Anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko is seen in an undated image. He died in police detention in 1977 [File: AP Photo/Argus] Biko: ‘The spark that lit a fire’ Steve Biko was a medical student and national youth leader who, in the late 1960s, pioneered the philosophy of Black Consciousness, which encouraged Black people to reclaim their pride and unity by rejecting racial oppression and valuing their own identity and culture. The philosophy inspired a generation of young activists to take up the struggle against apartheid, pushed forward by the belief that South Africa’s future lay in a socialist economy with a more equal distribution of wealth. In his writings, Biko said he was inspired by the African independence struggles that emerged in the 1950s and suggested that South Africa had yet to offer its “great gift” to the world: “a more human face”. By 1972, Biko’s student organisation had spawned a political wing to unify various Black Consciousness groups under one voice. A year later, he was officially banned by the government. Yet, he continued to covertly expand his philosophy and political organising among youth movements across the country. In August 1977, despite the banning order still being in effect, Biko had travelled to Cape Town with a fellow activist to meet another anti-apartheid leader, though the meeting was aborted over safety concerns, and the duo left. According to some reports, Biko heavily disguised himself for the road journey back east, but his attempts at going unnoticed were to no avail: When the car reached the outskirts of King William’s Town on August 18, police stopped them at a roadblock – and Biko was discovered. Advertisement The two were taken into custody separately, with Biko arrested under the Terrorism Act and first held at a local police station in Port Elizabeth before being transferred to a facility in the same city where members of the police’s “special branch” – notorious for enforcing apartheid through torture and extrajudicial killings – were based. For weeks in detention, he was stripped and manacled and, as was later discovered, tortured. On September 12, the apartheid authorities announced that Biko had died in detention in Pretoria, some 1,200km (746 miles) away from where he was arrested and held. The minister of justice and police alleged he had died following a hunger strike, a claim immediately decried as false, as Biko had previously publicly stated that if that was ever cited as a cause of his death, it would be a lie. Weeks later, an independent autopsy conducted at the request of the Biko family found he had died of severe brain damage due to injuries inflicted during his detention. Following these revelations, authorities launched an investigation. But the inquest cleared the police of any wrongdoing. Saths Cooper, who was a student activist alongside Biko, remembers the moment he found out about his friend’s death. Cooper was in an isolation block on Robben Island – the prison that also held Mandela – where he spent more than five years with other political prisoners who had taken part in the 1976 student revolt. “The news stilled us into silence,” the 75-year-old told Al Jazeera, recalling Biko’s provocatively “Socratic” style of engagement and echoing Mandela’s description of Biko as an inspiration. “Living, he was the spark that lit a veld fire across South Africa,” Mandela said in 2002. “His message to the youth and students was simple and clear: Black is Beautiful! Be proud
Trump sends letter to Israel’s president requesting pardon for Netanyahu
NewsFeed US President Donald Trump called the corruption trial against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a ‘political, unjustified prosecution’ as he requested the country’s president pardon him. However, under Israeli law, such a request can only be made by the person accused of wrongdoing, a legal representative, or a family member. Published On 12 Nov 202512 Nov 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)
Delhi Red Fort Blast: What is cross-injury pattern observed on bodies of some victims?
A high-intensity explosion occurred in a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort Metro Station, killing at least 12 people and injuring around 20 others.