Plus: VAWA reauthorized and storytelling workshop for Mississippians.

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Saturday, March 12, 2022

In this issue of The Weekly Reveal:
* Voices from the front lines ([link removed]) in Ukraine, where the Russian invasion has forced millions to flee.
* Congress reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act ([link removed]) , with our reporting credited for helping to drive bipartisan consensus around provisions on illegal gun possession.
* The latest on those charged for their roles in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, with context from Reveal’s reporting.
* A storytelling workshop ([link removed]) for Mississippi residents inspired by our Mississippi Goddam series.

If you enjoy this week’s newsletter, forward it to a friend ([link removed]) . Feeling chatty? Drop us a line (mailto:[email protected]) with feedback or ideas!


** New: The War in Ukraine Is Not New. It’s Been on a Slow Burn for Years.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin gives comments to the media last month at Moscow's Kremlin. Credit: Sergei Guneyev/TASS/Getty Images

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been seeing things that many people thought would never happen again in Europe.

➡️ A massive military power invading a sovereign country to expand its territory and influence. Millions of civilians fleeing their homes. And nuclear threats in the air.

But what’s happening isn’t a sudden crisis. It’s been on a slow burn for years – and it goes back way before Russian tanks and troops crossed into Ukraine last month. And that’s what we’re focusing on in this week’s Reveal ([link removed]) : the long war in Ukraine and the people who are living through it.

This episode is in partnership with Coda Story ([link removed]) , a newsroom that reports on major currents shaping our world.

You’ll hear from:
* Irina Dovgan, who refused to leave her home in eastern Ukraine in 2014 when pro-Russia separatist fighters took over the region. She became an international symbol of that invasion after Russian-backed forces arrested, abused and publicly humiliated her. Now, eight years later, she is living through a second invasion.
* Coda Story's Glenn Kates and his now-wife, Olesia, who give us insight on what it’s been like to live in Kyiv as Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to invade, all while trying to prepare for a baby. Kates also talks to Kyiv residents about how Putin’s threats of invasion and violence have shifted their sense of identity. About one-fifth of Ukrainians are native Russian speakers.
* Peter Pomerantsev, a contributing editor at Coda Story and propaganda expert, who paints the picture of what it is like to be a journalist in Russia right now, where challenging Putin’s official version of events can land them in prison.
* Reveal’s Elizabeth Shogren, who takes us back to a time when Russia was charting a different course. In 1989, she was a Moscow-based reporter covering the Soviet Union’s first freely elected legislature.

🎧 Listen to ‘To Shoot and Fight for My Home’ online ([link removed]) or on Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) , Spotify ([link removed]) or wherever you get your podcasts.
Dig Deeper on Russia and Ukraine
📖 Exploring the everyday lives of people in eastern Ukraine ([link removed]) [Coda Story]
📖 The club that wants Russia to take over the world ([link removed]) [Coda Story]
📖 Murder in St. Petersburg: How disinformation killed a journalist ([link removed]) [Coda Story]
🎧 Russia’s new scapegoats ([link removed]) [Reveal]


** Update: Congress Takes Aim at Abusers’ Illegal Guns in New Violence Against Women Act
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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks during a news conference about renewing the Violence Against Women Act in March 2021. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

State and local prosecutors and law enforcement across the country will have new powers to crack down on domestic abusers with illegal guns under the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act reauthorization ([link removed]) that passed Thursday night in Congress as part of a $1.5 trillion spending bill.

The provisions on guns included in the act come after a Reveal investigation ([link removed]) showed that domestic violence gun homicides leaped 58% over the last decade. Our reporting revealed many of those victims were killed by abusers whose criminal histories prohibited them from possessing guns.

Advocates and gun policy experts said our reporting spurred lawmakers to act.

Read the full story by Jennifer Gollan ([link removed]) .

The truth won’t reveal itself. Help us deliver the stories that make a difference. Donate today.
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** In the News
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What’s happening in the news – with a Reveal context
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Pro-Trump protesters gather in front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Credit: Jon Cherry/Getty Images

In the first Jan. 6 insurrection trial, Guy Wesley Reffitt of Texas was found guilty ([link removed]) Tuesday of all five criminal charges related to his connection in the Capitol riot. Also Tuesday, Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, former leader of the Proud Boys, a far-right White supremacist group, was charged with conspiracy “for his suspected role in a coordinated attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory,” according to the Associated Press ([link removed]) .

🔹 A Reveal investigation ([link removed]) tracked the backstory behind the first viral #StopTheSteal tweet that became the rallying cry for the Jan. 6 insurrection. We also explored how the phrase “Stop the Steal” dates back to 2016, when Roger Stone, a longtime adviser to former President Donald Trump, founded an organization to prevent Ted Cruz from “stealing” the Republican primary.


** Mississippi Residents: Join Our Storytelling Workshop
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While reporting for our Mississippi Goddam ([link removed]) series, there was a throughline we heard from many locals: We want to tell our own stories, too. Reveal has partnered with The Moth ([link removed]) to help make that happen via a virtual storytelling workshop, where you can dive deep into the art and craft of storytelling to develop a story that is personal to you.

Want to know more? Join our information session Friday, March 25, 2 p.m. CST. Sign up today ([link removed]) .
This newsletter is written by Kassie Navarro. Drop her a line (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Weekly%20Reveal%20feedback) with feedback and ideas!

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