Saskia’s Recent Stories
Nation Aug 09
New Jersey court strikes down murder conviction based on violent rap lyricsThis week, the New Jersey State Supreme Court overturned, by a vote of 6-0, the attempted murder conviction of an aspiring rapper and small-time drug dealer named Vonte Skinner, arguing that the extensive reading of Skinner’s violent rap lyrics during…
Arts Jul 02
Rappers respond: ‘This is how we express ourselves’A man shoots his foe in the head over and over again, leaving him to bleed out on the street. The man has no remorse. He even brags about it. Only this man isn’t real. He’s a…
Nation Jun 29
Rapper appeals verdict after lyrics used to sway juryThe case against Vonte Skinner hinged primarily on two eyewitnesses, though their stories had changed several times. Near the end of the trial, the prosecution introduced 13 pages of violent rap lyrics to demonstrate Skinner’s motive and intent to commit…
World Jun 18
U.S. arrests 89-year-old Auschwitz guard in PhiladelphiaJohann Breyer, a retired tool maker in Philadelphia, is in custody after being accused of accessory to murder as a Nazi guard at Auschwitz and Buchenwald during World War II.
Nation Mar 29
Timeline of marijuana policy in the U.S. and NetherlandsNewHour’s investigation into how the Netherlands has managed the sale of pot for 40 years illustrated that laws and regulations governing marijuana are often in flux. Use the timeline below to see how both nations have changed their…
Nation Feb 20
German prosecutors arrest suspected Auschwitz guardsAccording to the Associated Press reports, police in southern Germany raided the homes of nine elderly men suspected of serving as Schutzstaffel, or SS for short, guards at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp during World War II. Three men were…
Nation Feb 01
Filmmakers explore sex trafficking abuses in ‘Tricked’ documentaryThe film "Tricked" follows people impacted by the sex trade across the United States: from the young women and their families who share stories of abuse and manipulation, to the pimps who openly speak of how they traffic these women.
Nation Dec 21
Researchers measure increasing sexualization of images in magazinesResearch reveals that sexual imagery has become more prevalent in popular culture during the last four decades. Are these images changing how we perceive women and men?…
World Jun 07
Why Three Syrians Fled to LebanonBoys stand outside a camp settlement of 35 Syrian families in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Photos by Saskia de Melker. BEIRUT -- The odds that you'll see a Syrian refugee in Lebanon are high. Nearly 500,000 Syrian refugees reside in this…
World Jun 05
Dispatch: Neighbor Against Neighbor in Northern LebanonView slideshow of the two Lebanese neighborhoods in Tripoli. TRIPOLI, Lebanon -- Walk the streets of the adjacent neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen in the Lebanese city of Tripoli and you will find some similarities. Many businesses are…
